Trump likes TikTok, but US demands ownership shift as deadline nears

Despite expressing support for TikTok, the US President Donald Trump insists the popular short-form video app must transfer ownership from China to the United States.

Speaking on Fox News, the US Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick stated, “The President really likes TikTok, and he said it over and over again, because, you know, it was a good way to communicate with young people.”

“But let’s face it, you can’t have the Chinese have an app on 100 million American phones, that is just not okay. So, it’s got to move to American ownership, it’s got to move to American technology, American algorithms,” Lutnick noted.

He emphasised that for TikTok to continue operating in the US, its core technology and algorithms must be American-owned and controlled.

It is worth noting that TikTok’s Chinese parent company, ByteDance, faces a looming September 17 deadline to divest its US assets, following an extension granted by Trump earlier this year.

The move comes in light of a 2024 law that mandated the app's sale or shutdown if progress toward divestment wasn’t made.

Lutnick also clarified that ByteDance might retain a small minority stake, but the key control, including the platform’s data, technology, and decision-making, must rest with American stakeholders.

“If China approves the deal, it will go forward. If not, TikTok will go dark in the United States,” he warned.