President Trump stated in a Sunday interview that he has discovered a purchaser for TikTok, the favored video-sharing app that Congress voted to ban if China-based dad or mum firm, ByteDance, didn’t divest from the platform.
“We have a buyer for TikTok, by the way,” Trump stated in an interview on Fox Information’s “Sunday Morning Futures” with Maria Bartiromo.
“I think I’ll need probably China approval, and I think President Xi will probably do it,” he added.
Requested who the customer is, Trump stated, “I’ll tell you in about two weeks.”
The president added that the patrons are “very, very rich individuals.”
“It is a group of very rich individuals.”
The legislation requiring ByteDance to divest from the platform or face a ban on U.S. networks and app shops was signed by former President Biden final 12 months.
Trump signed an govt order earlier this month extending the divestiture deadline by 90 days. The brand new deadline is ready for Sept. 17.
The order instructed the Division of Justice to not implement the legislation or impose penalties associated to it, and it marked Trump’s third extension since taking workplace in January.
The Supreme Courtroom upheld the divest-or-ban legislation in early January, prompting the measure to take impact January 19, the day earlier than Trump was sworn in for his second time period.
The platform was introduced again on-line hours later after Trump vowed to signal an govt order as soon as again in workplace to offer the corporate an extension.
Trump made good on that promise, and his first order gave ByteDance 75 days past the January deadline to divest from the platform amid nationwide safety considerations. A deal was finalized by the White Home in early April however was by no means accomplished amid Trump’s tariff struggle with China.
The president then signed one other govt order in April, extending the deadline by one other 75 days, which was set to run out June 19, when he issued the latest extension.
