mm-news-@dmin Days after the White House joined the short video platform, President Donald Trump announced on Friday that he has US purchasers lined up for TikTok and could further extend the deadline for China-based ByteDance to divest the app’s US assets.
Trump told reporters that his government will keep an eye out for any issues and disregarded bipartisan security concerns about TikTok. Speaking with Chinese President Xi Jinping, he promised to do so “at the right time.”
After a 2024 law was passed mandating that TikTok cease operations by January 19 of this year, the Republican president has consistently chosen not to enforce the deadline. The deadline was just moved until September 17 by him.
On Tuesday, the White House joined the app.
Trump told reporters, “I haven’t spoken to President Xi about it,” while visiting a White House souvenir store across the street from the White House. “In the meantime, until the complexity of things work out, we just extend a little bit longer.”
He went on to say, “We have very substantial American buyers that want to buy it,” without mentioning any specific people or businesses.
Trump responded, “I’m really not,” when asked if he was worried about national security or privacy. It is, in my opinion, greatly overrated. I enjoy using TikTok.
According to the law from last year, ByteDance must either sell off the app’s US assets or show that it is making substantial progress on a sale. After assuming office on January 20, Trump decided not to implement it.
The delay has drawn criticism from some politicians who claim his administration is breaking the law and neglecting national security issues pertaining to Chinese control of TikTok.
