Trump’s Tik Tok download ban blocked by US judge

An order issued by President of the United States of America, Donald Trump banning the download of popular Chinese-owned short video app TikTok at 11:59pm (03:59 GMT on Monday) has been blocked by a US judge.

Washington District Judge, Carl Nichols, a nominee of President Donald Trump who joined the court last year, temporarily blocked the controversial order by the Trump’ administration that was set to bar downloads of the Chinese-owned short video app TikTok.

Judge Carl Nichols, said on Sunday that he was issuing a temporary injunction at the request of TikTok, which the White House has accused of being a threat to national security.

Nichols declined “at this time” to block other Commerce Department restrictions set to take effect on November 12 that TikTok has said will make the app unusable in the United States.

John E Hall, a lawyer for TikTok, had argued during a 90-minute Sunday morning hearing that the ban was “unprecedented” and “irrational”.

“How does it make sense to impose this app store ban tonight when there are negotiations under way that might make it unnecessary?” Hall asked during the hearing. “This is just punitive. This is just a blunt way to whack the company … There is simply no urgency here.”

This came after more than 3,500 United States companies, including Tesla, Ford Motor, Target, Walgreens and Home Depot, were forced to sue Trump’s administration in the last two weeks, according to reports.

The suits, filed in the US Court of International Trade, named US Trade Representative Robert Lighthizer and the Customs and Border Protection agency, challenge what they call the unlawful escalation of the US trade war with China through the imposition of a third and fourth round of tariffs.