Donald Trump announced that he will begin discussions with China early next week regarding a potential TikTok sale, saying a deal is “pretty much” in place. Trump indicated that talks with President Xi Jinping or his representatives could start on Monday or Tuesday as the U.S. seeks to finalize the divestment of TikTok’s American operations.
Trump extended the deadline to September 17 for ByteDance, TikTok’s China-based parent company, to sell its U.S. assets or face a ban. Earlier plans to spin off TikTok into a U.S.-controlled entity stalled after Beijing resisted, following Trump’s steep tariffs on Chinese goods.
Despite the challenges, Trump expressed cautious optimism, saying, “I’m not confident, but I think so. President Xi and I have a great relationship. I think the deal is good for China and it’s good for us.”
TikTok, with 170 million U.S. users, thanked Trump and Vice President JD Vance for their support and reiterated their willingness to reach an agreement. Meanwhile, Democratic Senator Mark Warner criticized Trump for bypassing legal procedures with repeated executive orders granting TikTok extensions.
The next few weeks will be crucial as TikTok’s future in the U.S. hangs in the balance.
