BROOKLYN. I’M JESSICA CUNNINGTON, NBC NEWS NOW.
>> JESSICA, THANKS SO MUCH. NOW
WE WANT TO GET TO SOME BREAKING
NEWS. PRESIDENT ELECT TRUMP,
JUST IN THE LAST FEW MINUTES,
FILING AN AMICUS BRIEF WITH THE
SUPREME COURT, ASKING THEM TO
PRESS PAUSE ON THE PROPOSED
TIKTOK BAN. NOW, REMEMBER, THE
COURT IS SET TO HEAR ARGUMENTS
SURROUNDING THE LAW, WHICH WAS
PASSED BY CONGRESS AND SIGNED
INTO LAW BY PRESIDENT BIDEN.
THAT’S ON JANUARY 10TH, AND THE
BAN COULD KICK IN ON JANUARY
19TH. NOW, IF YOU’RE THINKING
ABOUT THE CALENDAR, YES, TRUMP’S
ADMINISTRATION WILL TAKE OVER
THE DAY AFTER THAT LAW IS
SUPPOSED TO TAKE EFFECT. AND THE
FILING STATES THAT HE WANTS TO,
QUOTE, RESOLVE THE ISSUES AT
HAND THROUGH POLITICAL MEANS.
LET’S GO RIGHT TO NBC’S AARON
GILCHRIST FOR MORE ON THIS. SO,
AARON, WHAT DOES THIS TELL US
ABOUT MR. TRUMP’S THINKING WHEN
IT COMES TO SOLVING THE TIKTOK
PROBLEM? AND AGAIN, HE’S NOT THE
PRESIDENT RIGHT NOW. HE DOESN’T
BECOME PRESIDENT UNTIL THE DAY
AFTER THIS BAN WOULD TAKE
EFFECT. SO, I MEAN, WHAT IS THE
KIND OF LEGAL MERIT FOR
POTENTIALLY ACTUALLY STOPPING
THIS?
>> WELL, LISTEN, PRESIDENT ELECT
TRUMP HAS SAID VERY CLEARLY THAT
HE LIKES TIKTOK, THAT IT PLAYED
A BIG ROLE IN HIS CAMPAIGN AND
IN HIS ELECTION WIN THIS YEAR.
SO THIS MOVE SEEMS LIKE THE SORT
OF THE LEGAL EXTENSION OF THAT,
RIGHT? TODAY, HIS LEGAL TEAM
ASKED THE SUPREME COURT TO PAUSE
IMPLEMENTATION OF THIS LAW THAT
WOULD BAN TIKTOK HERE IN THE
U.S. STARTING JANUARY 19TH, IF
THE APP ISN’T SOLD BY ITS
CHINESE PARENT COMPANY,
BYTEDANCE. THAT COMPANY, OF
COURSE, CHALLENGING THE LAW. THE
HIGH COURT FAST TRACKED HEARING
THIS CASE, AND SO ARGUMENTS ARE
SET FOR JANUARY 10TH. NOW,
TRUMP’S BRIEF SAYS THAT HE’S NOT
TAKING A POSITION ON THE MERITS
OF THE DISPUTE HERE. INSTEAD, HE
JUST WANTS THE COURT TO PAUSE
THE DEADLINE DEADLINE WHILE IT
CONSIDERS THIS CASE, WHICH WOULD
ALSO GIVE TRUMP A CHANCE TO FIND
A POLITICAL RESOLUTION, AS YOU
NOTED. AND REMEMBER, THIS LAW
HAD THE BIPARTISAN SUPPORT THAT
IT NEEDED TO GET TO GET THROUGH
CONGRESS. PRESIDENT BIDEN, AS
YOU SAID, SIGNED IT. THAT WAS
BACK IN APRIL OF THIS YEAR. AND
NOW I WANT TO SHOW YOU PART OF
WHAT TRUMP’S LAWYER ARGUES IN
THE BRIEF THAT WAS FILED TODAY.
HE SAYS PRESIDENT TRUMP RECEIVED
RECEIVED A POWERFUL ELECTORAL
MANDATE FROM AMERICAN VOTERS TO
PROTECT THE FREE SPEECH RIGHTS
OF ALL AMERICANS, INCLUDING THE
170 MILLION AMERICANS WHO USE
TIKTOK. THE JUSTICE DEPARTMENT
TIKTOK. THEY ALSO SUBMITTED
BRIEFS TODAY, IN THIS CASE
MOSTLY RESTATING SOME OF THEIR
PREVIOUS ARGUMENTS HERE. AND
BRIAN, I THINK IT’S WORTH
NOTING, TOO, THAT A LOWER COURT
UPHELD THE LAW, SAID THAT THE
GOVERNMENT’S NATIONAL SECURITY
JUSTIFICATIONS FOR BANNING THIS
APP WERE LEGITIMATE. SO WE’LL
SEE WHAT ENDS UP HAPPENING GOING
FORWARD HERE.
>> I MEAN, AND YOU DO IMAGINE
THAT, YOU KNOW, THERE’S KIND OF
THIS HIGH BAR BECAUSE IT’S
LITERALLY A LAW THAT WAS PASSED
BY A BIPARTISAN ON A BIPARTISAN
BASIS AND SIGNED INTO LAW BY THE
PRESIDENT. BUT I DO WANT TO ASK,