TikTok CEO Shou Chew met with President-elect Donald Trump at Mar-a-Lago on Monday, just weeks before the popular video app is banned in the US due to security concerns. national.
The private meeting, confirmed by a source familiar with the discussion, came just hours after Trump suggested he would somehow try to reverse the ban to save TikTok, which he used to reach young voters during the campaign.
“Let’s take a look at TikTok,” Trump told reporters earlier on Monday from Mar-a-Lago. “You know, I have a special place in my heart for TikTok.” Trump had attempted to ban TikTok in 2020 during his first term as president, but has since changed his stance on the app.
It was not immediately clear what Trump and Chew discussed. A TikTok spokesperson did not respond to a request for comment. THE CNN had previously reported about the meeting.
The TikTok ban, scheduled for Jan. 19, is required by a law signed by President Joe Biden unless TikTok’s parent company, China-based ByteDance, agrees to sell the app to an American owner.
The company has been fighting the law. After a federal appeals court in Washington ruled this month to uphold the divestment or ban law and reject TikTok’s request for a preliminary injunction, the social media company asked the Supreme Court to review the case.
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Chew is one of many technology leaders who have chosen to meet with Trump ahead of his inauguration next month. Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg had dinner with Trump at Mar-a-Lago the night before Thanksgiving, and Apple CEO Tim Cook also met with Trump for dinner at Mar-a-Lago last week.
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