President Donald Trump has announced that a buyer has been identified for TikTok’s U.S. operations, signaling a potential breakthrough in the long-running saga over the future of the popular video-sharing app.
The announcement, made during a Fox News interview over the weekend, comes after months of legislative pressure, multiple missed deadlines, and international negotiations centered on national security concerns and U.S.-China relations.
Trump stated that the prospective buyers are “a group of very wealthy individuals,” though he declined to disclose their identities, promising to reveal more details “in about two weeks”.
The president noted that any deal would require approval from the Chinese government, expressing confidence that Chinese President Xi Jinping would likely grant it.
“We have a buyer for TikTok, by the way. I believe I will require China’s approval, and I think President Xi will likely grant it,” Trump told Fox News.
The U.S. government, citing concerns that TikTok’s Chinese parent company ByteDance could share American user data with Beijing, enacted legislation in 2024 mandating that TikTok be sold to a non-Chinese entity or face a nationwide ban.
ByteDance has denied the allegations, but the law set an initial deadline of January 19, 2025, for a sale to be completed. Trump has since postponed enforcement of the ban three times, most recently granting ByteDance until September 17 to finalise a deal.
Rumors have swirled about potential buyers, with names such as YouTube personality MrBeast, search engine startup Perplexity AI, and investor Kevin O’Leary reportedly involved in discussions, though none have been confirmed by the White House or ByteDance.
A previous attempt to transfer majority control of TikTok’s U.S. operations to American investors collapsed in April after China signaled its disapproval, following the announcement of new U.S. tariffs on Chinese imports.
TikTok remains widely used in the United States, with an estimated 170 million American users relying on the platform for news, entertainment, and business. The app briefly went dark for 14 hours in January, but has otherwise continued to operate as negotiations and legal challenges unfold.
With the September deadline looming, Trump’s announcement injects new urgency into the process. However, the ultimate fate of TikTok in the U.S. hinges on both the specifics of the deal and the willingness of the Chinese government to approve the sale.
