TikTok expressed that President Trump and his efforts are the reason that the app is restored in the United States, giving no credit  to then President Biden. (ABC News)

By Madison Maynard

WASHINGTON – After TikTok was banned and then restored within 24 hours between Jan. 18–19, the company released a statement thanking then-President-elect Donald 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.”

However, during this time, former President Joe Biden was still the sitting president of the United States — not Trump.

A day before Trump’s inauguration, he announced that he would sign an executive order to postpone the ban on TikTok. Hours later, TikTok announced that the app would resume services. When users returned to the app, TikTok credited Trump for the restoration of the platform in the United States.

On his first day in office, President Trump signed the executive order he had promised. Former President Biden was not credited with reinstating the app, despite the ban being lifted during his administration. While Trump did not yet have the authority to restore TikTok before his inauguration, both administrations arguably played a role in the app’s reinstatement.

Ultimately, the Biden administration chose not to enforce the TikTok ban, instead leaving the decision to the incoming Trump administration. Did Biden directly reinstate the app? No. But it would be unfair not to acknowledge that his administration cleared the path for its return. By signaling a pause on enforcement, Biden allowed Trump the opportunity to formally authorize TikTok’s reinstatement in the United States.