US President Donald Trump has signed an executive order greenlighting a major TikTok deal that hands control of the popular video-sharing app to American owners. This move marks a big step toward keeping TikTok alive in the US while tackling national security worries tied to its Chinese roots.
Trump shared details during a chat with reporters in the Oval Office, pointing to his recent phone call with Chinese President Xi Jinping on September 20. “This is interesting because I had a very good talk with President Xi—a lot of respect for him. Hopefully, he has a lot of respect for me, too. We talked about TikTok, and he gave us the go-ahead,” Trump said.
The deal puts American investors and companies in charge of TikTok’s US operations, aiming to fix concerns over data privacy and security. Trump stressed that top-notch players are stepping up. “You know, it’s run by American investors and American companies—great ones, the biggest. The young people really wanted this to happen,” he added.
A key player here is Oracle, the US tech giant based in Austin, Texas, along with its chief technology officer, Larry Ellison. Trump highlighted their role in beefing up the app’s safety. “We have American investors taking it over, running it—highly sophisticated, including Larry Ellison and Oracle. I guess Oracle is going to play a very big role in terms of security, safety, and everything else,” he explained.
This comes after Trump announced last week that Xi had approved the TikTok deal, paving the way for it to keep buzzing in the US. During their call, the leaders covered a range of topics, including TikTok’s future. The app, owned by China’s ByteDance, faced a potential ban under a law passed in April 2024 by the Biden administration. That legislation pushed for ByteDance to sell its US stake or shut down by January 19, 2025—but the Trump team hasn’t pulled the trigger yet.
Right after the Trump-Xi conversation, ByteDance put out a statement thanking both leaders. “ByteDance will advance related work in accordance with the requirements of Chinese law, allowing TikTok US to continue serving American users well,” the company said.
The US has pushed hard for a deal that gives American investors more say over TikTok amid ongoing US-China tensions. Reports from The Wall Street Journal and The New York Times, citing sources close to the talks, say the agreement splits ownership 80-20: 80% to a group of US investors and 20% staying with Chinese firms like ByteDance.
Trump called it a win for Washington, with the US gaining tight oversight of the app. As the deal moves forward, it could reshape how TikTok operates for its millions of American fans, especially younger users who love its short videos and trends.
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