Trump Approves Major Deal to Transfer TikTok Under U.S. Control

President Donald Trump has signed an executive order authorizing a landmark transaction that moves the U.S. operations of TikTok into American hands. This agreement, months in the making, is designed to resolve longstanding national security concerns raised by U.S. lawmakers and regulators about Chinese ownership of the platform. According to Vice President J.D. Vance, the American business of TikTok was valued at $14 billion.

Under the deal, a newly formed joint venture will manage TikTok’s operations, data centers and algorithms within the United States. Chinese parent ByteDance will hold less than 20 percent of shares, effectively losing control over decision-making regarding U.S. users’ data. The agreement still requires final approval from Chinese authorities, but the White House said it complies with the U.S. national security law that threatened to ban TikTok if no sale occurred.

The new ownership structure brings together technology giant Oracle, private-equity firm Silver Lake, and investment fund MGX from Abu Dhabi. Together they will hold about 45 percent of the shares, while the remainder will be split between current American investors and new shareholders of ByteDance. Oracle will host TikTok’s U.S. data on its cloud infrastructure, a move officials say will ensure stronger privacy protections and transparency.

Trump told reporters in the Oval Office that he had a “very good conversation” with Chinese President Xi Jinping and received informal consent for the arrangement, although Beijing has not yet officially confirmed its stance. Analysts note that the agreement, if implemented, could serve as a model for other foreign-owned apps operating under U.S. scrutiny. For millions of American users, TikTok’s service will continue uninterrupted but under stricter data safeguards and oversight.