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Axios
Axios
Technology

How Trump saved TikTok: Backstory of a 2-year campaign

Donald Trump TikTok Charlie Kirk Taylor Swift Jason Miller Barron Joe Biden Robert Draper Shou Zi Chew ByteDance

President Trump had just won reelection and was basking in the parade of congratulatory pilgrimages to Mar-a-Lago. On this day in November 2024, an old friend and a first-time visitor were meeting privately with Trump. They wanted something, and they brought something.

  • Charlie Kirk — a beloved Trump confidant who had just led a smashingly successful turnout drive among young voters — was shepherding TikTok CEO Shou Zi Chew. A law banning the Chinese-owned TikTok in the U.S. was scheduled to kick in the same week Trump was inaugurated. They wanted him to stall the ban and eventually kill it.
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