President Donald Trump on Thursday afternoon signed an executive order clearing the way for a deal to put TikTok in U.S. hands, with some of his closest billionaire allies poised to take the reins.
“This is going to be American-operated all the way,” Trump said during the signing, adding that the agreement had been greenlit by Chinese President Xi Jinping. “I have great respect for President Xi, and I very much appreciate that he approved the deal, because to get it done properly, we really needed the support of China and the approval of China.”
“This deal will allow for the U.S. to control the app’s algorithm,” he said. “It’s actually going to be American-operated all the way.”
For Trump, the signing was about more than national security – he linked it to his broader trade agenda, boasting about tariffs and their windfall.
Still, concerns are surfacing about what it means for Trump allies to control a platform with such influence over American political discourse.
Trump himself joked about algorithmic favoritism: “I always like MAGA-related. If I could make it 100% MAGA, I would, but it’s not going to work out that way, unfortunately. No, everyone’s going to be treated fairly. Every group, every philosophy, every policy will be treated very fairly.”
Vance also stressed that business would drive the app’s content decisions: “We want the business to make decisions about content based on the interest of the business and based on the interest of the users, and that’s what we think will happen.”
The signing also lays the groundwork for Trump’s first in-person meeting with Xi since returning to office. The two leaders are expected to discuss the deal further at the upcoming APEC Summit in South Korea.
Tiktok did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
