Trump is about to decide the future of TikTok in the US

The future of TikTok is still uncertain. After a short-lived ban in the United States, halted by American President Donald Trump, the Chinese platform has once again found itself cornered: sell the social media platform to a U.S. competitor or permanently give up its presence in the country. The company ByteDance was given 75 days to decide, with a deadline of April 5, but now Trump has decided to move up the meeting in the Oval Office of the White House to make a decision on the app’s future. The news is quite surprising, considering that just a few days ago, the President had declared himself not only willing to extend the deadline but also ready to reduce Chinese tariffs to facilitate the agreement. TikTok is currently used by about 170 million Americans, a massive user base managed by a Chinese app that could pose a national security threat to the United States. According to the allegations that led to the ban, the Chinese government could use the social media platform to collect data on the country and influence its citizens.  

According to CBS News, Donald Trump will reach a final decision today, Wednesday, April 2. For now, potential buyers include Blackstone and Oracle, as well as other tech industry investors and venture capital firms, reports the outlet. Today’s decision will be made by the President along with Vice President JD Vance, Secretary of Commerce Howard Lutnick, National Security Advisor Mike Waltz, and Director of National Intelligence Tulsi Gabbard. Over the past weekend, Trump reiterated that the government’s main interest is to keep TikTok in the country but transfer it under the leadership of a non-Chinese company. “We have many potential buyers. There is a lot of interest in TikTok. The decision will be mine,” said the Head of State. “I would like TikTok to stay alive.” The issue marks an unprecedented event in U.S. history, as the government has never been so involved in a private negotiation. According to some opponents of the sale, if the app were actually banned in the country, it would violate the First Amendment of the U.S. Constitution, which protects Americans’ right to access foreign media.