On Thursday, September 26, 2025, U.S. President Donald Trump signed an executive order outlining a proposed deal for a U.S. version of TikTok, reducing Chinese parent company ByteDance’s ownership to 20% and placing control in the hands of Trump allies, including Oracle founder Larry Ellison, Dell’s Michael Dell, and media tycoon Rupert Murdoch, as reported by AFP and Reuters. The agreement, valued at $14 billion per Vice President JD Vance, includes a homegrown algorithm “continuously monitored” for influence, addressing national security concerns over data mining (Web:0, Web:1, Web:3). Trump extended the ByteDance divestiture deadline to January 23, 2026, from December 16, 2025, under Biden’s law mandating a sale or ban (Web:0, Web:2).
Trump claimed Chinese President Xi Jinping approved the deal in a recent call, emphasizing fair treatment (Web:0). Beijing’s foreign ministry spokesman Guo Jiakun reiterated calls for an “open, fair” environment for Chinese firms (Web:0). TikTok, with 170 million U.S. users, did not comment (Web:0). X posts from @realDonaldTrump (September 26, 2025) touted the deal, while @Naija_Activist noted 68% global concern over U.S.-China tech tensions (Pew, 2025) (Post:3). The order revives Trump’s trade war, following tariffs on pharmaceuticals and trucks (Web:1).
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