"My decision on Tiktok will be made within a not too distant future, but I must have time to consider the situation" he writes on his social media platform Truth Social.
A deadline for Chinese Bytedance to sell Tiktok to a US owner expires on Sunday. Otherwise, the service will be banned, due to security concerns surrounding the platform's ties to China's dictatorial regime.
The background is that Tiktok is accused of giving China an opportunity to spy on the 170 million American users and gather information about them. The US also believes that Tiktok is a channel for spreading propaganda, which Bytedance has denied.
Now the Supreme Court writes that Tiktok indeed gives over 170 million Americans an opportunity to express themselves within a community, but adds:
"Congress has determined that a sale is necessary to address its well-founded national security concerns regarding Tiktok's data collection methods and relationship with a foreign adversary."
Can be penalized
Both outgoing President Joe Biden and Trump have signaled that they will not immediately apply the ban. On the other hand, Tiktok has said that the popular service may still be shut down.
Shou Zi Chew, Tiktok's CEO, sends greetings to Trump on Friday:
"I want to thank President Trump for his commitment to working with us to find a solution that keeps Tiktok available in the US," he says in a video post.
US Deputy Attorney General Lisa Monaco now says according to the AFP news agency that it will take time to implement and ensure compliance with the law.
Trump also says on Truth Social that he discussed, among other things, Tiktok in a phone call with Chinese President Xi Jinping on Friday.
According to the law dealing with the ban, service providers such as Google and Apple can be penalized if they continue to offer Tiktok after the deadline expires on Sunday.
"Find a political solution"
Tiktok's fate is now in Trump's hands, who will be sworn in on Monday – a day after the deadline expires.
In December, Trump asked the Supreme Court to wait with the law to get "the opportunity to try to find a political solution to the issues that are current in the case".
Trump can choose not to enforce the law, but it is unclear whether this would mean that service providers would avoid legal consequences.
With the ban, the government could ask Google and Apple to remove Tiktok from their app stores, which would prevent new downloads. The app would then remain for those who are already users in the US – unless Tiktok blocks their access.
