Honestly, if you looked at your phone today and saw that little music note icon still sitting there, you might be wondering how we got here. It feels like we’ve been "five minutes away" from a TikTok ban for about six years now. It started with a flurry of pens in the Oval Office back in 2020, and somehow, through a maze of courtrooms and campaign trail promises, the app is still alive.
But the story of the trump initiated tiktok ban isn't just about an app. It’s a wild saga of international trade wars, teenage pranksters, and some of the most aggressive executive power moves we've seen in the digital age.
The 2020 Explosion: How the Trump Initiated TikTok Ban Started
Let's go back to August 2020. The world was still reeling from the pandemic, and suddenly, the White House dropped a bomb. President Trump signed Executive Order 13942.
The logic was pretty straightforward, at least according to the administration. They argued that TikTok, owned by the Beijing-based company ByteDance, was basically a Trojan horse. The fear? That the Chinese government could demand data on millions of Americans or use the algorithm to whisper propaganda into the ears of Gen Z.
Trump didn't just want to regulate it. He wanted it gone. Or, more specifically, he wanted it sold to an American company.
The order was supposed to kick in after 45 days. It would have effectively blocked any "transactions" with ByteDance. In plain English, that meant Apple and Google would have to yank it from their app stores. If you already had the app, it would stop getting updates. Eventually, it would just wither away and die on your home screen.
The Art of the Deal (That Didn't Quite Happen)
For a few weeks in late 2020, TikTok's future looked like a corporate version of The Bachelor.
- Microsoft was the early favorite. They had the cash and the cloud infrastructure.
- Walmart surprisingly jumped in, thinking about "social commerce."
- Oracle eventually emerged as the "trusted technology partner."
Trump even gave a "preliminary blessing" to a deal involving Oracle and Walmart. He famously insisted that the U.S. Treasury should get a "substantial amount of money" as a finder's fee for the deal. This was a pretty unusual demand—typically, the government doesn't take a cut of private company sales just for allowing them to happen.
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Why the Courts Threw a Wrench in the Ban
If the President signs an order, that’s it, right? Not exactly.
TikTok didn’t just sit there and take it. They sued. And interestingly, they weren't the only ones. A group of TikTok creators sued too, arguing that the ban would destroy their livelihoods.
In September 2020, just hours before the app store ban was supposed to start, a federal judge named Carl Nichols stepped in. He issued a preliminary injunction. Basically, he told the government, "Hold on a second."
The legal snag was something called the International Emergency Economic Powers Act (IEEPA). The law gives the President huge power to regulate trade during a national emergency, but it has a specific exception: it can't be used to block "informational materials." The judge ruled that the videos we share on TikTok—dancing, cooking, political rants—are exactly that. Informational materials.
By December 2020, another judge, Wendy Beetlestone, blocked the ban even more broadly. She called the government’s descriptions of the national security threat "hypothetical."
So, by the time Trump left office in January 2021, the ban was essentially stuck in legal limbo.
The Biden Pivot and the 2024 Law
When Joe Biden took over, he didn't exactly become TikTok's best friend, but he did change the tactics. He revoked Trump's original executive orders in June 2021. Instead of a blunt ban, he ordered a deep-dive security review.
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For a couple of years, things felt quiet. We all kept scrolling.
But behind the scenes, the pressure was cooking. In 2024, Congress did what Trump couldn't do alone: they passed an actual law. The Protecting Americans from Foreign Adversary Controlled Applications Act (PAFACA).
This wasn't just an executive order that a judge could toss out easily. It was a bipartisan mandate. Biden signed it in April 2024. It gave ByteDance a deadline—sell TikTok by January 19, 2025, or face a total ban in the U.S.
2025: The Return of Trump and the "Save TikTok" Campaign
Here is where the plot twists again. During his 2024 campaign, Donald Trump did a complete 180. The man who initiated the first ban suddenly became the app's biggest defender.
He joined TikTok himself. He started posting videos with influencers like Logan Paul. His message? "I'm going to save TikTok." He argued that banning it would only help Facebook (Meta), which he called "the enemy of the people."
The 75-Day Reprieve
Trump was inaugurated for his second term on January 20, 2025—exactly one day after the 2024 law’s deadline.
The app was technically supposed to be illegal that morning. Most people expected a "dark Sunday." Instead, in one of his first acts back in the White House, Trump signed a new executive order. He granted a 75-day reprieve.
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He basically told the Department of Justice to stand down. He wanted time to broker a deal—his way. This created a massive constitutional headache. Can a President just refuse to enforce a law passed by Congress and upheld by the Supreme Court? (The Supreme Court had actually cleared the way for the ban just days earlier).
Trump didn't care much about the procedural drama. He wanted a deal.
Where We Stand in 2026: The New "American" TikTok
If you're using TikTok right now, you’re likely using a version of the app that is currently in a massive transition phase.
In late 2025, a "Framework Agreement" was finally reached. It’s a weird, hybrid solution that tries to make everyone happy and mostly just makes things complicated.
The Deal Details
- New Ownership: A new U.S.-based company is being formed.
- The Investors: Oracle is the big player here, along with Silver Lake and a few other American investment firms.
- The ByteDance Stake: This is the controversial part. ByteDance will still own a minority stake (reportedly around 20%), but they won't have "control."
- The Algorithm: This was the biggest sticking point. China didn't want to sell the "secret sauce." The compromise? The algorithm is being "retrained" on U.S. soil. American engineers are essentially rebuilding the recommendation engine so it doesn't rely on Chinese code or data.
The deal is set to officially close on January 22, 2026.
What This Means for You (Actionable Steps)
The trump initiated tiktok ban taught us one big thing: your digital life is a pawn in a much bigger game of chess. Even if the app feels "safe" now, the "magic" of the algorithm might feel a bit different as the U.S. version takes over.
If you’re a creator or a business, here is how you should handle the 2026 transition:
- Diversify immediately. Don't let 100% of your income or audience live on one app. If the 2026 "retrained" algorithm flops, users will migrate to Reels or YouTube Shorts. Be there before they arrive.
- Download your data. Use the "Download your data" tool in TikTok settings. It won't save your followers, but it gives you a record of your interactions and content.
- Watch the "US-Only" shifts. Keep an eye on your engagement metrics this month. As the backend switches over to Oracle’s servers and the "retrained" algorithm kicks in, what used to go viral might not anymore. You’ll need to relearn the "new" TikTok.
- Audit your privacy settings. Regardless of who owns it, the new TikTok U.S. entity will still be a data-gathering machine. Check what permissions you’ve granted the app in your phone's system settings.
The ban might have been avoided for now, but the app you're using today isn't the same one you were using in 2020. The era of the "global" TikTok is basically over for Americans. We're entering the era of the regulated, domestic version—and only time will tell if it’s still any fun.