Gen Z activists reeling after the Biden administration’s ban on TikTok caused the social network to go dark for 12 hours all had one thing to say after their favorite app resumed service on Sunday: Thank you, President Trump.
“I have to keep it real, I’m hitting if—k now… this is so dystopian” said makeup artist James Charles in an Instagram post on Saturday that has received more than 800,000 likes. Charles lamented that he no longer had access to the app that had become such a powerful force in his life.
“Now I’m rooting for Trump eew, make America king again, I guess.”
SUPREME COURT ALLOWS IMPENDING TIKTOK BAN
President-elect Trump was photographed in front of the TikTok logo. (Getty Images)
More than 170 million American users were unable to access TikTok on Saturday night, with the app showing a message that it will not be able to connect to the Internet until further notice. The app was no longer available on Google or the App Store. The Biden administration signed a law that required the Chinese Communist Party-linked TikTok parent corporation Bytedance to divest from the company in April or face being banned from the United States. The Supreme Court upheld the law on Friday.
“A law banning TikTok has been passed in the US Unfortunately, that means you can’t use TikTok yet,” the message read in part. The next morning, users were greeted with a new notification that the app had restarted service “due to the efforts of President Trump.”
Activists were quick to celebrate the relaunch of their beloved social media app, with users praising President-elect Trump for helping bring TikTok back after he said he might give the app a 90-day extension to comply with the law.
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TikTok promoters have expressed their displeasure following the Supreme Court’s decision to uphold a federal law regarding TikTok’s classification. (Screenshot/Alex Pearlman/Emily Senn/Madilynn Cameron)
“My birthday wish came true!!! Make TikTok great again! Worst 10 hours of my life,” TikTok user JFernandez81 wrote on Sunday, along with a video of the publisher lip-syncing “honored” to 2pac’s song Dear Mother. .
“Thank you! Thank you Mr. Trump! We love you! We love you Papi” posted TikTok user soyelmajedelvideooficial in a video that has received more than 2,000 likes.
Organizer Kristina Dunn praised the incoming president for bringing the app back to the web, saying “it’s the reason TikTok is back” she said while wearing a shirt with the candidate’s face on it.
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Even TikTok CEO Shou Chew thanked Trump for his efforts to keep his app online in the United States.
“I want to thank President Trump for his commitment to working with us to find a solution that keeps TikTok available in the United States,” Chew said in a video posted to his TikTok channel on Friday.
