TikTok CEO Chew meets Trump at Mar-a-Lago ahead of US ban

TIKTOK CEO Shou Chew met president-elect Donald Trump at Mar-a-Lago on Monday (Dec 16) just weeks before the popular video app is expected to be banned in the United States over national security concerns. 

The private meeting, confirmed by a source, came just hours after Trump suggested he would somehow try to reverse the ban to save TikTok, which he used to reach young voters on the campaign trail. “We’ll take a look at TikTok,” Trump told reporters earlier on Monday from Mar-a-Lago. “You know, I have a warm spot in my heart for TikTok.” He had previously tried to ban TikTok in 2020 during his first term as president, but has since switched his stance on the app. 

It was not immediately clear what Trump and Chew discussed. A spokesperson for TikTok did not respond to a request for comment. CNN earlier reported about the meeting.

The shutdown, slated for Jan 19, is required under a law signed by President Joe Biden, unless TikTok’s China-based parent company ByteDance agrees to sell the app to an American owner. 

The company has been fighting the law. After a federal appeals court in Washington decided this month to uphold the divest-or-ban law and then rejected TikTok’s request for an injunction. The social media company on Monday asked the Supreme Court to review the case.

Chew is one of many tech leaders choosing to meet Trump before his inauguration next month. Meta Platforms CEO Mark Zuckerberg had dinner with Trump at Mar-a-Lago the night before Thanksgiving, and Apple CEO Tim Cook also met Trump for dinner at Mar-a-Lago last week.