Donald Trump touts possible TikTok deal but scepticism abounds

Platform could go dark in US on Wednesday if deal isn't reached

TikTok was originally supposed to go dark in the US after Congress banned it last year. Cody Combs / The National

The Trump administration on Monday touted a possible deal to save TikTok from being switched off in America, though experts expressed scepticism about a potential agreement with China.

TikTok was originally supposed to go dark in the US after Congress banned it last year over concerns about how ByteDance, the video-sharing app's Chinese-owned parent company, handled user data. Despite a Supreme Court ruling upholding the ban, President Donald Trump has delayed its implementation four times, with the latest extension due to expire on Wednesday.

Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent told reporters on Monday that a “framework for a deal” is now in place. “We’re not going to talk about the commercial terms of the deal, it’s between two private parties, but the commercial terms have been agreed upon,” he said while on a visit to Madrid.

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Mr Trump meanwhile said he plans to speak to Chinese President Xi Jinping on Friday about a potential deal. Mr Trump posted a message on his Truth Social platform expressing optimism for a deal with "a certain company", presumably TikTok.

“A deal was also reached on a ‘certain’ company that young people in our country very much wanted to save,” he posted. “They will be very happy!” But he later told reporters: “We may let [TikTok] die, it’s up to China.”

Mr Trump wants to save TikTok because he credits it with letting him connect with younger voters who helped propel him back to the White House. “I’d like to do it for the kids, they like it,” he said, adding that he wanted to keep TikTok operating.

But talk of a prospective deal is hardly new. In recent months, ByteDance has hit back at reports indicating that an agreement was in the works to keep the video-sharing platform operating. Under the US ban, TikTok can only operate in the US if it severs ties with China, something the company has never said it would do.

President Trump strongly hinted that a deal was near to keep TikTok operating in the US.

Prof Mark MacCarthy, a senior fellow at the Institute for Technology Law and Policy at Georgetown Law in Washington, said another extension is possible.

“China wants some tariff and tech concessions and the US appears reluctant, as far as we know,” Prof MacCarthy said. “My guess is that they will need another extension, perhaps short term, to get it all worked out.”

TikTok's Washington office is in Signal House, in the Union Market district. Photo: Cody Combs

The TikTok controversy stretches back to President Trump’s first term in the White House, when he strongly supported a ban – only to reverse course when one was approved, despite the increasingly adversarial relationship between the US and China.

Technology security analysts and US officials say data could be compromised by Chinese authorities. TikTok chief executive Shou Zi Chew has repeatedly denied the accusations and insists user data is secure.

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Data privacy isn't the only problem area, however. TikTok has also been sued over allegations it turns a blind eye to children being exploited through the app, among other accusations.

In a 2024 bipartisan vote, the US Congress passed a law that sought to force ByteDance to divest from TikTok or else be banned. TikTok challenged the law up to the US Supreme Court, which ruled against the company and found the ban to be constitutional.

Meanwhile, TikTok has shown no sign that it is planning to reduce its US presence, with the company posting at least 10 job openings on its website. The company wants to hire a child safety team specialist, deceptive behaviours investigation analyst and a global export compliance counsel, among other openings.

ByteDance, owner of TikTok did not immediately respond to The National’s request for comment.