Trump says he’ll act to ban TikTok in US as soon as Saturday

Trump made the announcement to reporters Friday on Air Force One as he returned from Florida.

President Donald Trump says he will take action as soon as Saturday to ban Chinese-owned video app TikTok from the United States.

US President Donald Trump speaks to a crowd of supporters, flanked by a line of local law enforcement, as he arrives at Tampa International Airport, in Tampa, Florida, US.(REUTERS)

Trump made the announcement to reporters Friday on Air Force One as he returned from Florida.

“As far as TikTok is concerned, we’re banning them from the United States,” Trump said.

US lawmakers have raised intelligence and privacy concerns about the company’s ownership. The company has denied allegations that it shares user data with the Chinese government.

The move comes as Trump has ratcheted up tensions with China during the coronavirus pandemic and stalled trade negotiations between the two nations.

The company’s operations in the US has been under review by the secretive Committee on Foreign Investment in the United States.

Trump said he could use emergency economic powers or an executive order to enforce the action, insisting, “I have that authority.”

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Miller reported from Washington.