President Donald Trump announced on Tuesday (September 16) that the United States and China have struck a deal that will allow TikTok to continue operating in America, potentially ending a months-long standoff over the app’s ownership.
The agreement would transfer TikTok’s US assets from its Chinese parent, ByteDance, to American owners.
Trump did not disclose the identity of the prospective US buyers but suggested details would emerge soon. The President’s planned call with Chinese leader Xi Jinping later this week could finalize the arrangement.
“We have a deal on TikTok, I’ve reached a deal with China. I’m going to speak to President Xi on Friday to confirm everything up,” Trump told reporters as he departed the White House for a state visit to Britain.
The President added: “We have a group of companies that want to buy TikTok.”
The US has repeatedly raised national security concerns over TikTok’s Chinese ownership, warning that laws in Beijing could compel parent company ByteDance to share user data with the government. Washington has pushed for US investors to take control of TikTok’s operations in America.
170 million US users
The deal marks a breakthrough in negotiations between the world’s two largest economies and could ease tensions that have contributed to a broader trade war unsettling global markets. TikTok counts around 170 million US users, making it one of the most popular social media platforms in the country.
TikTok’s rise
TikTok, the popular short-form video app at the center of US security debates, is developed by ByteDance, a Beijing-based technology company founded in 2012 by entrepreneur Zhang Yiming.
ByteDance launched Douyin, a video-sharing platform, in China in 2016 and quickly followed with an international version, TikTok.
The COVID-19 pandemic further fueled its growth as homebound users embraced viral dances and comedy clips. In response, rivals Instagram and YouTube launched competing products — Reels and Shorts — but by then, TikTok had already established itself as a global leader in short-form video.
Missed deadlines and political stakes
The Trump administration has repeatedly extended TikTok’s divestiture deadlines instead of enforcing a shutdown, wary of political backlash from its massive user base. Trump himself has credited the app with helping him win re-election in 2024, and his personal TikTok account now has 15 million followers. The White House also launched an official TikTok account last month.
