Trump Approves TikTok Deal Allowing U.S. Operations to Continue

President Donald Trump approved a deal on September 25, allowing TikTok, owned by Chinese company ByteDance, to continue operating in the U.S., meeting 2024 legal requirements.

The new U.S. TikTok company is valued at around $14 billion, according to Vice President JD Vance, well below some analyst estimates. The deal still requires approval from ByteDance and Chinese authorities.

Trump’s order requires TikTok’s algorithm to be retrained on U.S. data, operated by a U.S.-controlled board, with China’s stake under 20% and strict oversight of updates and data flows.

U.S. officials warn that ByteDance’s China ties pose a national security risk. In April 2024, Congress gave it nine months to find a U.S.-approved buyer or face TikTok’s shutdown; Trump extended the deadline in January 2025.

Trump said Chinese President Xi Jinping had indicated approval of the plans. "I spoke with President Xi," Trump said. "We had a good talk, I told him what we were doing and he said go ahead with it."

Trump announced that U.S. investors—including Oracle, Rupert Murdoch, and Michael Dell—will take over TikTok’s U.S. operations, with Oracle storing American user data. ByteDance has not commented publicly.