Example Image
Civitas Outlook
Topic
Politics
Published on
Jan 20, 2025
Contributors
John Yoo

A Big TikTok Consideration Trump Needs to Prioritize on Day One

Contributors
John Yoo
John Yoo
Senior Research Fellow
John Yoo
Summary
President Trump faces a host of legal issues related to the 2024 Protecting Americans from Foreign Adversary Controlled Applications Act
Summary
President Trump faces a host of legal issues related to the 2024 Protecting Americans from Foreign Adversary Controlled Applications Act
Listen to this article

As Congress has found, TikTok represents a serious threat to U.S. national security.  It allows the Chinese government to access vast troves of data on TikTok’s 170 million American users.  On Friday, the Supreme Court held that Congress’s 2024 Protecting Americans from Foreign Adversary Controlled Applications Act, which requires the sale or closure of TikTok, did not violate the First Amendment.

Nevertheless, the Trump administration reportedly will issue an executive order this week suspending the law for 90 days.  According to press accounts, Trump aides say he needs time to make a deal to keep the social media site open.

But such an order may well violate the 2024 Act.  The law gave TikTok 270 days to find a buyer or face a shut down – that time period ended on January 19, 2025.  Trump has two problems.  One, he takes office January 20, 2025, on day after the sale-or-divest requirement has already taken effect.  There is no 270-day period left to extend.  TikTok must close or be sold before Trump took office.  Professors don’t give students an extension after a paper’s due date has already passed.

Continue reading the entire article at Fox News

10:13
1x
10:13
More articles

Proxy Firms Don’t Have to Disclose Conflicts. That Should Change

Politics
Aug 17, 2026

An Unsurprising Term from an Unsurprising Court

Constitutionalism
Aug 17, 2026
View all

Join the newsletter

Receive new publications, news, and updates from the Civitas Institute.

Sign up
More on

Politics

Is American Nationalism Still Creed-able?

We are not there now, but there is reason to worry that the United States is in danger, if we are not careful, of ceasing to be a nation with the principles of 1776 at its core.

Richard Samuelson
Politics
Apr 29, 2026
National Civitas Institute Poll: Americans are Anxious and Frustrated, Creating a Challenging Environment for Leaders

The poll reveals a deeply pessimistic American electorate, with a majority convinced the nation is on the wrong track.

Politics
Feb 19, 2026
Liberal Democracy Reexamined: Leo Strauss on Alexis de Tocqueville

This article explores Leo Strauss’s thoughts on Alexis de Tocqueville in his 1954 “Natural Right” course transcript.

Raúl Rodríguez
Politics
Feb 25, 2025
Long Distance Migration as a Two-Step Sorting Process: The Resettlement of Californians in Texas

Here we press the question of whether the well-documented stream of migrants relocating from California to Texas has been sufficient to alter the political complexion of the destination state.

James Gimpel, Daron Shaw
Politics
Feb 6, 2025

The Three Whiskey Happy Hour

Steven Hayward brings you the Power Line Blog's perspective on the week's big headlines.

View all
** items
Proxy Firms Don’t Have to Disclose Conflicts. That Should Change

The firms whose advice can move those votes bear no comparable duty for the advice itself. States can close that gap by applying an enduring standard from the Supreme Court.

Michael Toth
Politics
Aug 17, 2026
Texas May Soon Have More People Than California — Here’s Why

California natives are voting with their feet.

Joel Kotkin
Politics
Aug 16, 2026
California is an American Nightmare – and the Future of the US Left

The once-Golden State is home to the two leading contenders for the 2028 Democratic nomination. It’s also a basketcase

Joel Kotkin
Politics
Aug 16, 2026
How Occupational Licensing Hurts the Poor and Holds Back Growth in America and Around the World

Occupational licensing hurts the poor and holds back growth in America and around the world.

Jonathan Hartley
Politics
Aug 10, 2026

Disgraced DEI Professor’s Story Exposes ‘Institutional Rot’ in Universities, Critic Says

Politics
Aug 11, 2026
1:05

DSA Co-Chair Struggles to Explain Millionaire Tax Policy

Politics
Aug 10, 2026
1:05

Bill Maher Torches Dems, Tucker Carlson Builds Third Party

Politics
Aug 7, 2026
1:05

John Yoo Analyzes DOJ Crackdown on Massive COVID-19 Relief Fraud

Politics
Jul 31, 2026
1:05

If Fauci Lies to Congress, He Can be Prosecuted: Former Deputy Assistant Attorney General

Politics
Jul 28, 2026
1:05
No items found.
No items found.
Jimmy Lai: Apostle for Freedom

Jimmy Lai represents the best of what Hong Kong was.

Jonathan Miltimore
Politics
Aug 14, 2026
The Uses and Abuses of the Pardon Power

The recent flood of pardon controversies shows no signs of abating.

Brian C. Kalt
Politics
Aug 13, 2026
The Fall of Fauci

The greater the scope of authority granted to a single individual, by circumstance or deliberate action, the more important scrutiny and accountability become.

Phillip W. Magness, Edward J. Lopez
Politics
Aug 12, 2026
Can Britain’s Next Prime Minister Escape the Net Zero Trap?

Britain has burned through five Prime Ministers and is paying some of the highest electricity prices in the world.

Diana Furchtgott-Roth
Politics
Jul 8, 2026
No items found.