Gen Z influencers reeling after the Biden administration’s TikTok ban caused the social media platform to go dark for 12 hours are all saying one thing after their beloved app resumed service Sunday: Thank you, President Trump.
“I gotta keep it real, I’m crashing the f—k out right now… this is so dystopian” said makeup artist James Charles in an Instagram post Saturday that received over 800,000 likes. Charles lamented that he no longer had access to an app that had become such a major force in his life.
“Now I’m rooting for Trump eew, make America f—king great again, I guess.”
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Over 170 million American users were unable to access TikTok on Saturday night, with the app displaying a message that it would be offline until further notice. The app was no longer available on Google or the App store. The Biden administration signed into law that required the Chinese Communist Party affiliated TikTok parent corporation Bytedance to divest from the company in April or face shutdown in the United States. The Supreme Court upheld the law Friday.
“A law banning TikTok has been enacted in the U.S. Unfortunately, that means you can’t use TikTok for now,” the message read in part. The following morning, users were greeted with a new notification that the app had resumed service “as a result of President Trump’s efforts.”
Influencers were quick to celebrate the resumption of their favorite social media app, with users praising President-elect Trump for helping restore TikTok after he said he would likely grant the app a 90-day extension to comply with the law.
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“My birthday wish came true!!! Make TikTok great again! Worst 10 hrs of my life,” posted TikTok user JFernandez81 Sunday, along with a video of the influencer lip syncing the lyrics “you are appreciated” from the 2pac song Dear Mama.
“Thank you! Thank you Mr. Trump! We love you! We love you Papi” posted TikTok user soyelmajedelvideooficial in a video that received over 2,000 likes.
Influencer Kristina Dunn credited the incoming president with returning the app to the web, saying “he is the reason TikTok is back” she said while wearing a shirt the prez-elect’s face on it.
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Even TikTok CEO Shou Chew thanked Trump for his efforts to keep his app online in the United States.
“I want to thank President Trump for his commitment to work with us to find a solution that keeps TikTok available in the United States,” Chew said in a video posted to his own TikTok channel Friday.
