“If I could make it 100% MAGA I would, but it’s not going to work out that way unfortunately. No … every group, every philosophy, every policy, will be treated very fairly,” Trump told reporters.
The President confirmed that the US version of TikTok would feature a homegrown model of the app’s prized algorithm, often described as TikTok’s “secret sauce” that helped it grow into one of the world’s most popular platforms in just a few years.
A White House official said Monday the algorithm would be “continuously monitored” to ensure it is “not being unduly influenced”.
The new set-up for TikTok is in response to a law passed under Trump’s predecessor, Joe Biden, that has forced its Chinese owner ByteDance to sell its US operations or face a ban in its biggest market.
US policymakers, including Trump in his first presidency, have warned that China could use TikTok to mine data from Americans or exert influence through its state-of-the-art algorithm.
Trump has repeatedly delayed enforcement through successive executive orders, most recently extending the deadline until December 16, 2025.
Trump’s order extended that deadline still further, granting a 120-day enforcement delay to complete the transaction by January 23.
US Vice-President JD Vance, the one-time venture capitalist who led the team to find a solution for TikTok, said the US entity would be valued at about US$14 billion ($24.28b), though he added that it would ultimately be up to the investors to figure out its price.
When asked if the Chinese authorities had signed off on the deal, Trump said that President Xi Jinping gave his green light in a phone call last week.
“[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,” he said.
TikTok did not respond to a query seeking comment and confirmation, and Beijing has remained largely silent on any deal.
After the Trump-Xi call, state broadcaster CCTV said Xi emphasised to his US counterpart that China supports market-based negotiations that align with Chinese laws.
-Agence France-Presse
