US President Donald Trump announced that a solution has been found for the future of TikTok in the USA through a new agreement that transfers control of the app to a group of American billionaire allies and reportedly has the approval of Xi Jinping. The executive order signed by the American president ends the threat of banning the platform, but raises new questions about the political and business dimensions of the new ownership.
Read: Is TikTok moving to the US? Trump spoke of an imminent deal with China
TikTok: American investors to manage algorithm and data in the US
Yesterday, Thursday, Donald Trump signed an order that establishes the framework for transferring TikTok’s American operations to his wealthy supporters, while Chinese parent company ByteDance will retain only a minority stake of less than 20%. From the Oval Office, the US president assured that the American version of the platform will be managed by “very experienced” investors, such as Larry Ellison of Oracle, Michael Dell of Dell, and Rupert Murdoch, while the agreement also includes investment firms Silver Lake Partners and Andreessen Horowitz. Despite the fact that all the new managers are Trump allies and share his political views, the American president emphasized that the app will not have political bias.
“Every group, every philosophy, every political view will be treated very fairly”, Donald Trump assured, while admitting however that, if he could, he would have made this social media platform “100% MAGA” (“Make America Great Again”), referring to the movement he has created. The president confirmed that the American version of TikTok will be equipped with a copy of the app’s algorithm, which is considered the key to its success. “Our fundamental goal was to keep TikTok operational, while ensuring we protect the confidential nature of Americans’ data, in accordance with the law”, American Vice President JD Vance assured yesterday, Thursday.
China gives green light for TikTok sale
Congress, expressing fears that Chinese authorities could access American users’ data or modify the algorithm for political gain, passed a law in 2024 requiring TikTok to divest from parent ByteDance, or be banned in the US. Donald Trump repeatedly extended the deadline for reaching an agreement, which, according to the order released yesterday, has now been set for January 23, 2026. JD Vance, former head of an investment firm and leader of the team tasked with finding a solution for TikTok, said the value of the American entity is estimated at about $14 billion, adding that the final decision belongs to the investors.
“I have great respect for President Xi and greatly appreciate that he approved the deal”
Asked about the agreement’s ratification by Chinese authorities, Donald Trump assured that President Xi Jinping gave the “green light” during a phone call last week. “I have great respect for President Xi and greatly appreciate that he approved the deal, as we really needed China’s support to make it happen,” Trump said. Beijing remains silent about the agreement. According to state television CCTV, Xi Jinping asked his American counterpart to avoid “unilateral” trade restrictions and maintain a “non-discriminatory” environment for Chinese businesses. ByteDance and TikTok companies did not immediately respond to a request for comment from the French Press Agency.
