Is time up on TikTok?

TikTok is hoping that 2025 can be its year — but what comes next for the social media company is truly anyone’s guess. Will someone buy it? Will it divest from its Chinese Communist Party ownership? Will it exist in America next week (the app is fully banned in China as is)? Stay tuned.

The social-media app is seeking yet another revival at the eleventh hour. Despite a bipartisan bill signed by President Joe Biden that restricts the ability for foreign adversaries to run social-media companies in the United States, TikTok is activating its army of supporters once more (the app is presumably hoping that its child soldiers will not threaten to kill themselves or lawmakers this time)… and it just might work.

The problem facing the company and its parent company, ByteDance, is that the bill gave a deadline of January 19 — the day before the presidential inauguration — for TikTok to rid itself of ByteDance’s ownership; ByteDance is a “cog in China’s vast military machinery,” the Foundation for Defense of Democracies noted.

But it might also fail. Today, the Supreme Court unanimously ruled that “the challenged provisions do not violate the petitioners’ First Amendment rights”; the 9-0 nature of this decision might squash some of the rumored TikTok rallies that are potentially popping up around the inauguration.

TikTok, unsurprisingly, isn’t giving up without a massive and expensive fight. It joined the legion of other massive tech companies in donating to Trump’s inauguration, and its CEO will sit near Elon Musk and Jeff Bezos during the festivities. 

The platform’s unique algorithm is what makes it immensely useful to both its users and, ostensibly, to the Chinese Community Party. “TikTok has made it so easy for regular people to become ‘content creators’ and make money off social media and be connected with brands so much better than apps like Instagram that we’re willing to sacrifice our data over it,” one user told The Spectator.

Should TikTok vanish this weekend, prepare for a mental-health crisis. “Kill me,” another user told The Spectator if the app is gone.

–Matthew Foldi

On our radar

PARDON ME? President Joe Biden just keeps the pardons coming as his days in office wane. He shortened the sentenced of about 2,500 prisoners, which Axios notes is a record for the most pardons and sentence commutations in a single term.

DoGEING HIS DUTY? Vivek Ramaswamy, whom President-elect Donald Trump picked to head the Department of Government Efficiency (DoGE) alongside fellow tech bro Elon Musk, just announced his intention to run for governor of Ohio.

CEASEFIRE DELAYED Israeli prime minister Benjamin Netanyahu has postponed a vote on the planned Gaza ceasefire because he claims Hamas has changed the terms of the agreement.

Cabinet hearings continue

With Donald Trump’s presidential term set to begin in three days, the Senate is heading into its fourth day of confirmation hearings. So far, close to half of Trump’s twenty-two cabinet picks have begun their confirmation processes, including defense secretary nominee Pete Hegseth, secretary of state nominee Senator Marco Rubio and Treasury secretary nominee Scott Bessent.

This morning, a lonely former South Dakota governor Kristi Noem, whom Trump tapped to lead the Department of Homeland Security, had her own hearing. Originally it had been scheduled to take place Wednesday, alongside a half-dozen nominees, including CIA director pick John Ratcliffe. It was postponed, however, due to an FBI paperwork delay, Politico reports.

Following Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg’s comments accusing the Biden administration of coercing his company, Kentucky senator Rand Paul asked Noem whether she would commit to refraining from the practice of sending officials to meet with social media. “I’ll work with you to ensure that civil rights and liberties are protected, and that we are not in the misinformation and disinformation space like the current DHS,” Noem replied. She also said she looked forward to work with Paul to investigate the role of political bias in department-led initiatives to restrict speech.

Michigan senator Elissa Slotkin asked Noem about Trump’s “threat from within” comments, suggesting that the president-elect may be considering the use of military force targeting Democrats. “If the president asks you to send in federal law enforcement to a state without coordination of that governor, would you support that action?”

“Senator, my job if nominated and sworn in as secretary of homeland security is to uphold the Constitution,” Noem responded.

Looking ahead, the confirmation hearings for labor secretary pick Lori Chavez-DeRemer and commerce secretary pick Howard Lutnick are yet to be scheduled, as are those for FBI director nominee Kash Patel, health and human services secretary nominee Robert F. Kennedy Jr. and director of national intelligence nominee Tulsi Gabbard.

–Juan P. Villasmil

Balls to the wall

Cockburn has just ambled up the National Mall to pick up his credentials for Monday’s inauguration, watching workers erect yet more fencing as he ran off his hangover. It seems that everyone and their mother is in town this weekend: all the grubby lobbyists, optimistic client states and nervous tech moguls are coming out of the woodwork to throw bashes for the incoming Trump administration.

Some highlights he’s most anticipating: the TikTok shindig on the day the nationwide ban is set to come into place; the joint event between Uber, X and the Free Press — could someone ask Elon to unsuspend Speccie contributor Jacqueline Sweet for doing journalism? — at the same time, and the MAHA Action Ball — imagine the menu. All the stars are here — a spy spotted Secret Service digging out a trench of snow in front of the Alexandria courthouse yesterday so Vice President-elect J.D. Vance didn’t have to hop the curb. Meanwhile dozens of hip-hop acts and country stars have been booked, from Dierks Bentley and Jason Aldean to Waka Flocka Flame and Snoop Dogg.

There is a lot to cover — so Cockburn’s paymasters at The Spectator have ordered him to produce a special, events-centric inauguration edition for later this weekend. Keep an eye out for it Monday morning — and sign up here to get it in your inbox.

–Cockburn