TikTok CEO Plans To Attend Donald Trump’s Inauguration

TikTok CEO Shou Chew is scheduled attend Donald Trump‘s presidential inauguration on Monday, a source familiar with the plans confirmed.

His attendance comes as TikTok’s future in the United States is in doubt.

The Supreme Court is expected to rule soon on whether to uphold a law that requires that TikTok’s China parent company, ByteDance, sell the social media platform’s U.S. operations or face a ban on app stores.

At Supreme Court oral arguments last week, TikTok’s attorney told the justices that the site would go dark on Sunday unless the law was put on hold or overturned.

The New York Times first reported on Chew’s plans to attend the swearing in ceremony. According to the Times, Chew will join other tech executives on the dais, including Mark Zuckerberg, Jeff Bezos and Elon Musk.

In his first term, Trump had sought to force a sale of TikTok’s U.S. operations via an executive order. But Trump’s efforts got sidelined in the courts.

Last year, Congress passed the sell-or-be-banned law with an overwhelming bipartisan majority, with lawmakers raising alarms over national security and the access that the Chinese government could have to Americans’ private information. But Trump has expressed his opposition, noting that the platform proved beneficial to his reelection bid. He also urged the Supreme Court to put the law on hold to give him time to try to line up a buyer.

Chew has been a presence in Washington, having testified multiple times before congressional committees. As Congress was considering measures to restrict TikTok last year, Chew attended the Gridiron Dinner, an annual press gathering where the president spoke. Afterward, he got some brief face time with the president. Biden, however, signed the bill the next month.

Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-NY), a supporter of the bill, said on the floor today that Democrats have sought to extend the TikTok deadline “to give everyone more time to come up with a workable solution.”

“But Senate Republicans blocked our bill, which is stunning because time is running short,” Schumer said.

“It’s clear that more time is needed to find an American buyer and not disrupt the lives and livelihoods of millions of Americans, of so many influencers who have built up a good network of followers,” Schumer said.