TikTok assures its community that they're 'not going anywhere' amid Trump ban

• TikTok's US General Manager Vanessa Pappas appeared in a one-minute video released Saturday morning to assure users the short-form video platform is "not planning on going anywhere."
• The video message came as an apparent response to President Donald Trump's comment one day earlier that he is banning the Chinese-owned app.
• The Trump administration has been publicly threatening to ban the app since early July, often floating concerns about the app's ties to China, but TikTok has denied that it would share user data with the Chinese government.

Less than a day after President Donald Trump announced he is banning TikTok from the United States, the app released a message assuring all users that the short-form video platform is "not planning on going anywhere."

Business Insider previously reported that Trump told reporters aboard Air Force One on Friday night that he is banning the Chinese-owned platform from the US.

US General Manager Vanessa Pappas appeared in a one-minute video released Saturday morning addressing the "TikTok community" in response to Trump's announcement. "We've heard your outpouring of support and we want to say thank you, we're not planning on going anywhere," Pappas said. "TikTok is a home for creators and artists to express themselves, their ideas, and connect with others across different backgrounds and we are so proud of all the various communities that call TikTok their home."

Pappas thanked the "1,500 US employees who work on this app every day" and mentioned the platform's plans for an "additional 10,000 jobs we're bringing into this country over the next three years."

The administration's previous threats to ban the app set alarms off among creators, but Pappas reiterated the app's plans for a $1 billion US Creator Fund.

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Trump's comment to reporters came after a month of his administration publicly threatening to ban the app, with officials like Secretary of State Mike Pompeo citing concerns about the app's ties to China and the possible sharing of user data with the Chinese Communist Party. TikTok has denied that it would share user information with the Chinese government.

Pappas acknowledged the app's plans for "safety and security" by saying, "we're building the safest app because we know it's the right thing to do." "We appreciate the support, we're here for the long run, continue to share your voice here and let's stand for TikTok," Pappas said.

@tiktok

A message to the TikTok community.

♬ original sound - tiktok

After the TikTok's US debut in 2018, the app has attracted more than 80 million users and more than 2.3 billion downloads worldwide, Business Insider previously reported.

Trump told reporters he planned to take action "as soon as Saturday," but the White House had not released any plans as of Saturday morning.

In addition to banning the app, Trump also threatened an executive order that would force TikTok's Chinese parent company, ByteDance, to divest from the app's US operations.

Reuters reported on Saturday that the company agreed to divesting, placing Microsoft as the new owner of TikTok in the US. The "concession will test whether Trump's threat to ban TikTok is a negotiating tactic or whether he is intent on cracking down on a social media app that has up to 80 million daily active users in the United States," the outlet noted.