TikTok CEO to attend Trump’s inauguration as app’s fate hangs in the balance
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Shou Chew will attend inauguration for the man who has both advocated for and tried to ban the popular app. TikTok CEO Shou Chew may not have a social media platform to run by Sunday but he is still invited to, and expected to attend, Donald Trump’s presidential inauguration on Monday in Washington D.C.
![[Trump wants to ‘save’ TikTok – nearly four years after trying to ban it from the U.S. due to national security concerns]](https://static.independent.co.uk/2025/01/15/16/GettyImages-2193195255.jpg)
The invitation to Chew is somewhat ironic given he will be in the presence of the lawmakers who voted to pass legislation that forces TikTok to be sold to a U.S.-based company or risk becoming inoperable on U.S. servers. In addition to the lawmakers, he will also be celebrating Trump – the man who initially advocated for a TikTok ban and threatened to issue an executive order during his first term that would force the platform to divest from ByteDance or be banned.
But the relationship between Trump and Chew seems to have warmed since the president-elect promised to “save” TikTok and asked the U.S. Supreme Court to pause enforcement of the ban so he can work out a deal. The Supreme Court has yet to issue a ruling determining whether or not the sold-or-be-banned legislation violates the First Amendment or place an injunction on it. They have until Sunday, January 19 to do so before the ban takes effect.
The Independent has asked TikTok for comment. Trump reversed his stance on TikTok last year after meeting with a Republican megadonor who owns a significant share of ByteDance, according to the New York Times. Trump denied the two discussed the company.
Since then, the president-elect has come to enjoy the platform – successfully using it to engage with younger voters during the presidential campaign. Those close to Trump told the New York Times that he has repeatedly mentioned how his content performed well and helped him reach a younger audience.
