Name: Incoming National Security Adviser Says Trump Exploring Ways to Preserve TikTok in US
Uploaded: 2025-01-20T06:57:25.000Z
Description: Florida Rep. Mike Waltz, who President-elect Donald Trump recently announced will serve as his national security adviser, said on Jan. 15 that the incoming U.S. leader is exploring ways to "preserve" TikTok in the country amid a looming ban.

Jason Perry is an Army veteran and NTD's national security correspondent. Jason primarily covers border security, national defense, foreign wars, and veterans' issues.

Jason Perry

NTD Plus

News

News with integrity, from the United States and around the world. Focused reports and analyses that shed light on major issues the world deserves to know. NTD Evening News airs daily at 6 p.m. ET.

NTD Evening News

NASA Crew Holds Final Press Conference Before Launch

Dave Martin is NTD's Senior Sports Reporter and sports analyst. He also hosts "Data Hub" segments during NTD's special election coverage, "The Nation Decides."

Dave Martin

Skubal, Arraez Among All-Stars Dealt at Trade Deadline

Arian Pasdar is an international correspondent for NTD News based in South America. His reporting focuses on immigration and key events in Latin America.

Arian Pasdar

72 People Reported Dead After Trying to Illegally Enter Spain's Ceuta

Jason Blair is a national correspondent for NTD News based in California. 

Jason Blair

RFK Jr. Says There Was Absolute Press Malpractice During COVID

Sam Wang is a Washington correspondent for NTD News based in Washington, D.C. Sam covers politics on Capitol Hill, and U.S.-China relations. 

Sam Wang

Citizens Reflect on COVID-19 Policies, Narratives

Cary Dunst is the news anchor for NTD Evening News. He is also the co-host of NTD Good Morning.


Cary Dunst

Panel Weighs in on Michigan's Democratic Senate Primary

NTD Newsroom comprises teams of reporters, editors, and producers assigned to cover breaking news and other stories.


NTD Newsroom

NY Governor Candidate Bruce Blakeman Joins Little Italy Forever Fest

Dogs Show Off Skills at World Dog Surfing Championships

Paul Greaney is an NTD news anchor and producer. Since joining the company in 2018, he has anchored the station’s flagship Evening News broadcast, launched the NTD Business show, and produced documentary reports on pointed issues. 

The highlight of Paul’s time in the field was his coverage of the Hong Kong pro-democracy protests in 2019.

Paul Greaney

Ideological Ties Between DSA and CCP 'Very Strong': James Lindsay

Poll: El-Sayed Leads Michigan Democratic Senate Primary

NTD Evening News Full Broadcast (Aug. 2)

Full Episodes

NTD Evening News Full Broadcast (Aug. 1)

NTD Evening News Full Broadcast (July 31)

NTD Evening News Full Broadcast (July 30)

NTD Evening News Full Broadcast (July 29)

NTD Evening News Full Broadcast (July 28)

NTD Evening News Full Broadcast (July 27)

Chris Beers is an NTD News anchor and political correspondent based at the network's global headquarters in New York City. Chris co-anchors "NTD News Today" weekdays at 10:00 am ET.

Chris Beers

NTD Evening News Full Broadcast (July 26)

NTD Evening News Full Broadcast (July 25)

NTD Evening News Full Broadcast (July 24)

Tom Gantert is a reporter for The Epoch Times.

Tom Gantert

Melina Wisecup is NTD's congressional correspondent based in Washington, covering Capitol Hill and campaign politics.

Melina Wisecup

US News

Politics

Executive Branch

Trump Uses Recent Speeches to Warn Americans of Resurging Communism

NTD Movies

NTD+ Movies

The Unrestricted War

Juliet Song is an international correspondent exclusively covering China news for NTD. She primarily contributes to NTD's "China in Focus," covering U.S.-China relations, the Chinese regime's human rights abuses, and domestic unrest inside China.

Juliet Song

Shows

Fast, compelling, first-hand news from China. China in Focus airs Monday–Friday at 9:30 p.m. ET.

China in Focus

2.8 Million People in China Evacuated Amid Typhoon Bavi

Breaking news and in-depth analysis from the United States and beyond. We bring you the latest updates, exclusive insights, and sharp discussions on the most pressing issues. NTD Newsroom airs Monday–Friday from 2 p.m. to 6 p.m. ET.

US Announces Visa Restrictions Targeting Cybercriminals

Reuters is a news agency owned by Thomson Reuters. It employs around 2,500 journalists and 600 photojournalists in about 200 locations worldwide writing in 16 languages.

Reuters

Cyber Defense Agency Warns Hackers Are Increasingly Targeting Water Systems

Joseph Lord is a congressional reporter for The Epoch Times.


Joseph Lord

Congress

House Passes Legislation to Make Daylight Saving Time Permanent

Troy Myers is a regional reporter based in St. Augustine, Florida. His background includes breaking, criminal justice, and investigative writing for local news, producing on a national morning newscast in Washington, D.C., and working with an award-winning, weekly investigative news program. In his free time, he enjoys spending time with his dog at the beach.

Troy Myers

Courts

Appeals Court Upholds Block on Trump Order to Tighten Mail-In Voting, Citizenship Verification

News you can trust from the U.S. and around the world. Critical information and insight. We cover the stories that others don’t. NTD News Today airs Monday–Friday at 11 a.m. ET.

NTD News Today

Florida Ticket Wins $800 Million Mega Millions Jackpot

The Associated Press is an American not-for-profit news agency headquartered in New York City. 

The Associated Press

Sen. Lindsey Graham Likely Died After Aorta Tear, Medical Examiner Says

Bringing you the latest videos, livestreams, and premieres.


NTD Videos

Label

Live

NTD+ Live

Trump Makes an Announcement on Freedom Hauler in the White House

Florida Rep. Mike Waltz, who President-elect Donald Trump recently announced will serve as his national security adviser, said on Jan. 15 that the incoming U.S. leader is exploring ways to "preserve" TikTok in the country amid a looming ban.

Waltz made the remarks during an interview with Fox News anchor Bret Baier in response to questions regarding a report from The Washington Post that said Trump was considering various options to prevent TikTok from having to cease U.S. operations.

Such options could include an executive order to suspend enforcement of the divest-or-ban law for 60 to 90 days, Baier said, citing the report.

"TikTok itself is a fantastic platform," Waltz said. "The algorithm is amazing. We’re going to find a way to preserve it but protect people’s data and that’s the deal that will be in front of us."

The federal law requires ByteDance, TikTok's China-based parent company, to divest its popular video app TikTok in the United States by Jan. 19—one day before Trump's inauguration—on national security grounds or face a ban in one of its largest markets.

President Joe Biden <a href="https://www.congress.gov/bill/118th-congress/house-bill/7521/text" target="_blank" rel="nofollow noopener">signed</a> the "Protecting Americans from Foreign Adversary Controlled Applications Act" into law on April 24, 2024. It was approved by bipartisan majorities in both chambers of Congress.

The law grants the president the authority to force the divestiture of social media companies operating in the United States that are more than 20 percent controlled, either directly or indirectly, by foreign adversaries that present a significant national security threat to the United States.

Extending enforcement of the law would grant the incoming administration more time to negotiate a sale or an alternative solution to a full-scale ban on the social media platform.

"If the Supreme Court comes out with a ruling in favor of the law, President Trump has been very clear: Number one, TikTok is a great platform that many Americans use and has been great for his campaign and getting his message out. But number two, he’s going to protect their data," Waltz said.

"He’s a deal maker. I don’t want to get ahead of our executive orders, but we’re going to create this space to put that deal in place."

Waltz noted ongoing concerns among officials in Washington regarding the Chinese Communist Party having access to TikTok users' data.

"It's the threat from China seeing the data, being able to manipulate hundreds of millions of Americans. We wouldn't have had that with the Soviet Union and we certainly shouldn't have it with the Chinese Communist Party," Waltz said.

TikTok, which has more than 170 million monthly U.S. users, has repeatedly <a href="https://www.theepochtimes.com/us/senior-intelligence-official-warns-of-tiktoks-influence-on-us-citizens-5107541" target="_blank" rel="nofollow noopener">maintained</a> that user data and information can not be accessed by the Chinese communist regime and says it stores U.S. user data on servers outside of China.

The Supreme Court last week heard <a href="https://www.theepochtimes.com/us/supreme-court-seems-skeptical-of-tiktoks-bid-to-overturn-forced-divestiture-law-5788461?utm_source=twitter&utm_medium=Social&utm_campaign=ettwitter" target="_blank" rel="nofollow noopener">oral arguments</a> in a legal challenge to the divest-or-ban law that was brought by TikTok, ByteDance, and users of the app.

The nation's highest court appears poised to uphold the ban on the social media app following those arguments, during which the justices focused mainly on whether a ban would violate the First Amendment.

The court is expected to issue a ruling on the matter before the Jan. 19 deadline.

Last month, Trump <a href="https://www.theepochtimes.com/us/trump-asks-supreme-court-to-halt-tiktok-law-so-he-can-negotiate-to-save-platform-5782839" target="_blank" rel="nofollow noopener">urged</a> justices to pause enforcement of the law to allow his incoming administration to work out a deal to ensure TikTok remains available to Americans.

"President Trump alone possesses the consummate dealmaking expertise, the electoral mandate, and the political will to negotiate a resolution to save the platform while addressing the national security concerns," his <a href="https://www.supremecourt.gov/DocketPDF/24/24-656/336151/20241227163400981_2024-12-27%20-%20TikTok%20v.%20Garland%20-%20Amicus%20Brief%20of%20President%20Donald%20J.%20Trump.pdf" target="_blank" rel="nofollow noopener">amicus brief</a> stated.

<em>The Associated Press contributed to this report.</em>

<em>From <a href="https://www.theepochtimes.com/us/incoming-national-security-adviser-says-trump-exploring-ways-to-preserve-tiktok-in-us-5793224">The Epoch Times</a></em>

Latest

Science &amp; Tech

China News

SECURITY

trump

Videos

04_Top Stories

Latest Clips

national

TikTok

Adviser

Katabella Roberts is a former writer for The Epoch Times, focusing primarily on the U.S., world, and business news.

Katabella Roberts

Iris Tao is NTD's White House correspondent based in Washington. Prior to her work at the White House, Iris reported on U.S. politics and U.S.–China relations from NTD’s New York headquarters. She holds degrees in journalism and economics from Boston University.

Iris Tao

Donald Trump

TikTok Ban

Latest and breaking news, documentaries, movies, and lifestyle content on NTD+.
 
Empower your knowledge and elevate your spirit with NTD+, your go-to destination for truthful news, insightful documentaries, and captivating lifestyle content that enriches your life.

Incoming National Security Adviser Says Trump Exploring Ways to Preserve TikTok in US

Stefania Cox is an NTD News anchor and national correspondent based at the network's global headquarters in New York City. Stefania anchors "NTD Newsroom," and co-anchors "NTD News Today" weekdays at 10:00 am ET.

Stefania Cox

We present news that is truthful and based on facts, outside of the political fog. Instead of focusing on the negative things happening around us, our mission is to give our viewers a good morning with empathetic and uplifting stories. Our aim is to provide an antidote to negativity by shining a light on the best side of people. We speak to inspiring people who positively impact communities, pursue topics that represent our common human values, and will never miss an opportunity to bring you heartwarming stories.