U.S. President Donald Trump has announced that a buyer for TikTok has been lined up, with more details to be disclosed “in about two weeks.”
In an interview with Fox News, Trump stated, “We have a buyer for TikTok. I think I’ll probably need China’s approval, and I think President Xi will probably do it.” When asked to identify the buyer, he responded, “I’ll tell you in about two weeks. It’s a group of very wealthy people.”
Nearly five months ago, a U.S. law took effect mandating that TikTok either be sold by its China-based parent company, ByteDance, or face a ban in the United States. However, enforcement of that law has been repeatedly delayed. Trump has issued three executive orders postponing action, most recently granting a 90-day extension that pushes the deadline to mid-September.
These delays have prolonged uncertainty about TikTok’s future in the U.S. China has signaled it may oppose any deal involving the transfer of TikTok’s core algorithm, a key sticking point in past negotiations. A previous deal in April, which would have given majority control of TikTok’s U.S. operations to American investors, collapsed after Trump announced new tariffs on China.
ByteDance has acknowledged that any potential agreement would require approval from Chinese regulators. Despite ongoing geopolitical and regulatory challenges, Trump has maintained that he wants TikTok to remain operational in the U.S.
“I want to keep TikTok alive,” he said, even as the fate of the platform remains unresolved.
