Just weeks after extending the deadline for his sale for the third time, President Donald Trump announced on Sunday that he found a buyer for Tiktok’s US operations.
The popular social media was under intense pressure due to law passed in 2024, which requires its Chinese parent company, Bytedance, sell the platform or face a nationwide ban. The legislation stems from Bipartisan care in Washington that the Chinese government could access US users’ data or use the application to influence public opinion.
“We have a buyer for Tiktok,” Trump told Fox News host Maria Bartiromo in her program “Sunday morning Futures”. He suggested that the agreement would still require approval from Beijing. “I will probably need Chinese approval and I think President Xi will probably do it.”
When pressed for more details, Trump remained vague. He added that, “it’s a group of very wealthy people,” and said he would reveal their names in “about two weeks.” He did not give additional information.
.@Potus: “We have a buyer for Tiktok … I probably need China’s approval and I think President Xi will probably do it … it’s a group of very rich people.” pic.twitter.com/n8twyfkjyg
– Quick Answer 47 (@Rapidresponse47) June 29, 2025
This announcement comes after a period of intense negotiation and political maneuvering. The Law of Divest or Prohibition, passed by the congress in 2024, gave Bytedance a 270-day window to sell Tiktok. This deadline was extended for the third time in mid -June, pushing the new date until September 17 and allowing the 170 million US users of the app to continue access to the platform for now.
According to several reports, an agreement was almost reached in early April. This agreement would separate Tiktok from Bytedance from Tiktok, with a group of US investors led by the TE Company Niche company Oracle and including stock manager Blackstone and entrepreneur Michael Dell taking majority participation. However, the transaction is said to have stopped after Trump has announced a new wave of steep trade tariffs, especially targeting China.
More recently, after the two countries have agreed to a “general framework” to normalize trade relations in early June, Beijing seemed to be more willing to approve some exports. This could empty a way for the sensitive algorithms and technology that support Tiktok to be included in sale.
Despite the geopolitical disturbance, Tiktok’s popularity in the United States remains huge. The social network has 170 million users, including 7.5 million business accounts, ranging from large corporations to small and medium -sized businesses. According to the specialist website Appfigures, Tiktok is currently the second most downloaded app in the United States on Android phones, just behind Chatgpt.
What happens next – especially whether Trump’s mysterious buyer is real or feasible – remains unclear. But with the September limit approaching, the political and economic stakes surrounding Tiktok’s fate grow.
