Will TikTok Be Sold? Trumps’ Deadline and China’s Opposition Raise Doubts

In an interview aired on Sunday night, the U.S. President Donald Trump has claimed that there is a discussion underway to sell TikTok to a group of ‘very wealthy individuals’, but also said that the proposed acquisition will need approval from Chinese President Xi Jinping.

Trump said, “We have a buyer for TikTok, by the way… I think I’ll probably need China’s approval. I think President Xi will probably do it.” However, Trump declined to name the potential buyers, but promised to disclose the name ‘in about two weeks’.

The original dateline for the TikTok divest-or-ban law in the U.S. was January 19, 2025, which has been extended thrice by Trump because the platform has helped him gain popularity among young voters.

A few months before there was discussion for separate TikTok’s U.S. operations, a new entity would be primarily owned and managed by American investors. However, this discussion was dismissed after China expressed strong opposition to Trump’s announcement of fresh tariffs on Chinese goods.

Trump has previously floated the idea of a joint venture between ByteDance and US-based investors, potentially giving the US a 50% stake. He has also named allies like Larry Ellison and Elon Musk as potential buyers, though the latter appears increasingly unlikely to be involved.

The current deadline is set for September 17, all eyes are now on whether ByteDance will proceed with the sale, and if the Chinese government will approve any such deal.