Gen Z influencers reeling after the Biden administration's TikTok ban took down the social media platform for 12 hours are all saying one thing after their beloved app resumed service on Sunday: Thank you, President Trump.
“I've got to keep it real, I'm crushing the nuts right now… This is so miserable,” he said. Makeup artist James Charles An Instagram post on Saturday received more than 800,000 likes. Charles lamented that he no longer had access to the app that had become a huge force in his life.
“Now I'm rooting for Trump, and making America great again, I guess.”
Supreme Court upholds looming TikTok ban
President-elect Trump is pictured in front of the TikTok logo. (Getty Images)
More than 170 million US users were unable to access TikTok on Saturday night, as the app displayed a message that it would be offline until further notice. The app is no longer available on Google or the App Store. The Biden administration has signed a law requiring the Chinese Communist Party's parent company of TikTok, Bytedance, to divest from the company in April or face closure in the United States. The Supreme Court upheld the law on Friday.
“A law has been enacted banning TikTok in the United States, and unfortunately, this means you cannot use TikTok at this time,” the letter read in part. The next morning, users were greeted with a new notification stating that the app had resumed service “as a result of President Trump’s efforts.”
Influencers were quick to celebrate the resumption of their favorite social media app, with users praising President-elect Trump for helping restore TikTok after he said he would likely give the app a 90-day extension to comply with the law.
TikTok influencers expressed their dismay following the Supreme Court's decision to uphold the federal law on TikTok divestitures. (Screenshot/Alex Perlman/Emily Sinn/Madeleine Cameron)
“My birthday wish came true!!! Make TikTok great again! Worst 10 hours of my life,” she posted. TikTok user JFernandez81 Sunday, along with a video of the influencer lip-synching the lyrics to “You're Appreciated” from 2pac's song Dear Mama.
“Thank you! Thank you Mr. Trump! We love you! We love you Papi,” TikTok user soyelmajedelvideooficial posted in a video It received more than 2,000 likes.
Influencer Christina Dunn Thanks to the next president Bringing the app back to the web, she says, “It's the reason TikTok is back,” as she wears a T-shirt with the president-elect'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 US.
“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,” Chiu said in a video posted on his TikTok channel on Friday.
