President of the United States, Donald Trump, says a deal to sell TikTok’s operations in the country is in progress and will be announced in about two weeks.
Speaking on Fox News, Trump said there is already a buyer for the app, but approval from the Chinese government may still be needed.
“We have a buyer for TikTok,” he said. “I think I’ll probably need China’s approval, and I think President Xi will probably do it.”
When asked to reveal who the buyer is, Trump responded: “It’s a group of very wealthy people. I’ll tell you in about two weeks.”
A law passed earlier this year requires TikTok’s Chinese parent company, ByteDance, to sell the app or face a ban in the United States over national security concerns.
But the sale has been delayed several times, mainly because Trump has extended the deadlines. So far, he has issued three orders to push back the enforcement. The latest one gives ByteDance until mid-September 2025 to complete the sale.
These delays have raised questions about the future of TikTok in the US. While American officials want to cut ties between TikTok and China, the Chinese government has said it may block any deal that includes TikTok’s algorithm — the system that powers what users see on the app.
In April, a deal was almost completed, but it fell apart after Trump introduced new tariffs on Chinese goods, which affected the negotiations.
ByteDance has admitted that any agreement must first get approval from China. The Chinese government considers the app’s technology very valuable and may not want to give it up.
Despite the ongoing challenges, Trump says he still wants TikTok to keep operating in the US — but under new ownership.
“We want to keep TikTok alive,” he said. “But we want it done the right way.”
