BREAKING: TikTok restores services after Trump announces 90-day extension

"In agreement with our service providers, TikTok is in the process of restoring service," the company announced. "We thank President Trump for providing the necessary clarity and assurance to our service providers that they will face no penalties providing TikTok to over 170 million Americans and allowing over 7 million small businesses to thrive."

"It’s a strong stand for the First Amendment and against arbitrary censorship. We will work with President Trump on a long-term solution that keeps TikTok in the United States," TikTok added.

Earlier in the day, Trump announced that he would issue an executive order on Monday, after his inauguration, to delay the nationwide ban on TikTok. The extension aims to provide more time for a deal to be finalized, which would ensure TikTok’s continued operation in the United States while addressing national security concerns.

“I’m asking companies not to let TikTok stay dark!” Trump wrote on Truth Social. “I will issue an executive order on Monday to extend the period of time before the law’s prohibitions take effect so that we can make a deal to protect our national security. The order will also confirm that there will be no liability for any company that helped keep TikTok from going dark before my order.”

“Americans deserve to see our exciting Inauguration on Monday, as well as other events and conversations,” he added.

Trump proposed that the US have a 50 percent ownership stake in a joint venture involving TikTok, saying, “By doing this, we save TikTok, keep it in good hands and allow it to [stay] up. Without US approval, there is no TikTok. With our approval, it is worth hundreds of billions of dollars - maybe trillions.”

TikTok ceased operations on Saturday night, removing its app from the Apple App Store, along with other apps owned by its parent company such as the video editor CapCut. Users attempting to access TikTok were met with a notification saying the app was no longer available. However, the notification also cited Trump’s potential intervention, saying it was “fortunate” that the president-elect “has indicated that he will work with us on a solution to reinstate TikTok once he takes office.”

During his first term, Trump supported banning TikTok over national security concerns regarding its Chinese parent company, ByteDance. However, he has recently advocated for keeping the app operational in the US despite bipartisan calls in Congress to ban it.

Similarly, X owner Elon Musk has expressed support to keep TikTok functional in the US on free speech grounds.

“I have been against a TikTok ban for a long time, because it goes against freedom of speech,” Musk posted on X. “That said, the current situation where TikTok is allowed to operate in America, but X is not allowed to operate in China is unbalanced. Something needs to change.”

Under the current law, the president can grant a 90-day extension if a deal is in place for ByteDance to divest TikTok. While several investors have expressed interest in acquiring the platform, ByteDance has so far resisted any sale. TikTok preemptively shut down its US operations before the January 19 deadline, despite assurances from the Biden administration that it would not enforce the ban before Trump’s inauguration.

With Trump’s announcement, the fate of TikTok still remains unclear.