To clarify my question further, "tit for tat" is an effective strategy in game theory. If China bans US social media companies, the optimum response from the US

To clarify my question further, "tit for tat" is an effective strategy in game theory. If China bans US social media companies, the optimum response from the US should be to ban Chinese social media companies. Trump went through a convoluted process rather than outright banning TikTok and then gave up. So I wonder whether there are any legal limits that stops US from banning TikTok.