The head of the Chinese social network TikTok, Shou Zi Chew, will be present at Donald Trump's inauguration ceremony on January 20, writes the Agence France Presse, quoted by Agerpres. The information regarding his participation in the ceremony appeared before a possible ban on the platform in the United States. According to the New York Times, Shou Zi Chew is among the guests of honor, who will be seated alongside Donald Trump's inner circle and high-ranking officials. Other technology leaders will also be in attendance, including Elon Musk, Mark Zuckerberg and Jeff Bezos.
By the time of the inauguration, the Supreme Court is expected to decide whether or not to ban the network on American soil.
This comes after the US Congress last April voted in favour of a bill requiring TikTok's parent company, ByteDance, to sell its US operations before January 19, 2025, when the app would be banned. The bill, if implemented, would require internet providers and app stores to block TikTok from being downloaded after the deadline.
The law aims to prevent the risks of espionage and manipulation by Chinese authorities of TikTok users, who in the US are said to be 170 million. TikTok appealed to the US Supreme Court in December to overturn this law, and the decision is expected any day now.
Meanwhile, however, President-elect Donald Trump asked the Supreme Court justices to delay their decision, saying they could find a favorable solution to this case that would preserve TikTok.
Trump, who also attempted to ban TikTok during his first term, citing national security reasons, now has a completely different opinion about the popular social network with short and entertaining videos, the cited source points out.
“I have a warm place in my heart for TikTok,” Trump said at a press conference last month, responding to a question about a possible ban on TikTok in the US. He also noted, in his response, the support that this platform enjoys among young people.
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