The CEO of controversial Chinese social media app TikTok is set to attend the second inauguration of President-elect Donald Trump, as the fate of his company hangs in the balance against a potential ban by the U.S. government.
According to Axios, Shou Zi Chew will be in attendance when President-elect Trump is sworn in as the 47th President of the United States. The inauguration will take place on January 20th, just one day after a federal ban on TikTok is set to go into effect as the result of a bipartisan law passed last year.
Anonymous sources told Axios that the Trump-Vance Inaugural Committee invited Chew to attend, alongside other tech CEOs such as Elon Musk, Jeff Bezos, and Mark Zuckerberg. While a broader shift to the right has been noted in the tech industry during and after the 2024 election, Chew’s attendance is particularly notable as his company may soon go dark on American devices.
The ban on TikTok was supported by most Democrats and Republicans, and was signed into law by the outgoing Joe Biden; Democrats voiced concerns about the app’s failure to protect user data and to shield minors from harmful content, while Republicans oppose the app due to its Chinese ownership presenting a national security risk.
However, President-elect Trump has expressed a willingness to save the app due to its popularity with young Americans; he also found unexpected success on the app, garnering more subscribers and more views than either Biden or outgoing Vice President Kamala Harris, who Trump defeated in 2024.
Once sworn in, President Trump may use an executive order to delay the ban on TikTok. It has already been reported that the Biden Administration will not enforce the ban come January 19th, leaving the door open for possible action to save the app under the second Trump presidency.
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