A few weeks after extending their sales deadline for the third time, President Donald Trump announced on Sunday that he had found a buyer for the US operation of Tikok.
The popular social media app has been under rapid pressure due to a law passed in 2024, which requires its Chinese -origin company, bidence to sell the platform or to face a nationwide ban. This law stems from bilateral anxiety in Washington that the Chinese government can reach the data of American users or use the app to influence public opinion.
“We have a buyer for Tikokok,” Trump told Fox News Host Maria Bartiromo on the “Sunday Morning Futures” program. He suggested that the deal would still need approval from Beijing. “I will probably need China’s approval and I think President Xi probably will do it.”
When pressed for more information, Trump remained unclear. He said, “This is a group of very rich people,” and said that he would reveal his name “in about two weeks”. He did not give any additional information.
,@Potus: “We have a buyer for Tikokok … I will probably need China’s approval and I think President Xi probably will do it … It’s a group of very rich people.” pic.twitter.com/n8twyfkJyg
– Rapid Response 47 (@Rapidrespons 47) June 29, 2025
This announcement comes after a period of intensive interaction and political exercise. The Divest-or-Ban law passed by the Congress in 2024 bifurcated the 270-day window to sell the ticket. The time limit was extended for the third time in mid -June, pushed the new date by 17 September and allowed 170 million US users of the app to reach the platform for now.
According to several reports, a deal had almost reached in early April. The agreement would have separated the US operations of Tikok from the biodenses, with a group of American investors, led by Tech Company Oracle and asset manager Blackstone and entrepreneur Michael Dell took a majority stake. However, after the declaration of a new wave of standing trade tariffs by Trump, the transaction was allegedly stalled after targeting China.
Recently, the two countries agreed to a “normal structure” to normalize trade relations in early June, with Beijing more keen to approve some exports. This can clarify a path for sensitive algorithms and technology that outlines tiktok to join a sales.
Despite the geopolitical turmoil, Tiktok’s popularity in the United States remains immense. The social network has 170 million users, including 7.5 million commercial accounts, including large corporations to small and medium -sized enterprises. According to expert website APFIGURES, Tiktok is currently the second most downloaded app in the United States on Android phones, behind Chatgpt.
What happens next – especially Trump’s secret buyer is real or viable – is not clear. But with the arrival of September deadline, political and economic bets around Tiktok’s fate are increasing.
