The long-running TikTok saga appears to be nearing its conclusion, with President Trump announcing he will engage China in talks starting Monday or Tuesday, claiming a deal is “pretty much” reached. This development suggests a breakthrough in the effort to secure American ownership for the app.
The possibility of a presidential visit exchange with Xi Jinping highlights the high-stakes nature of the ongoing negotiations. Trump’s latest extension to September 17 provides ByteDance with its third reprieve to divest TikTok’s US operations.
A prior attempt at a US-majority-owned spin-off was reportedly stalled by China’s disapproval, which came on the heels of Trump’s tariff announcements. This illustrates the intricate connection between economic leverage and technological policy.
While optimistic about the deal’s benefits for both nations and his rapport with President Xi, Trump expressed a measured confidence in Beijing’s ultimate approval. Meanwhile, Senator Mark Warner has publicly criticized Trump’s use of executive orders, labeling them as a circumvention of legal processes.