Toba Owojaiye reporting
Abuja, Nigeria
On January 19, 2025, President-elect Donald Trump addressed supporters in Washington with a strong stance on TikTok’s future in the United States. He announced plans to allow the app to continue operating under the condition that U.S. investors hold at least a 50% ownership stake in the company.
“TikTok is worth nothing, zero, without an approval to operate,” Trump declared. He further emphasized the strategic importance of the decision: “If you do approve, they’re worth like a trillion dollars, they’re worth some crazy number.”
Detailing his proposed solution, Trump added: “I’m approving on behalf of the United States, so they’ll have a partner, the United States, and they’ll have a lot of bidders. The United States will do what we call a joint venture.”
Truth Live News gathered that this august announcement came amid the enactment of the Protecting Americans from Foreign Adversary Controlled Applications Act (PAFACA), which required TikTok’s Chinese parent company, ByteDance, to divest its U.S. operations by January 19, 2025, or face a ban. On January 18, TikTok ceased operations in the U.S., impacting over 170 million users and approximately 7 million small businesses.
Trump’s assurances that he would issue an executive order to extend the divestment deadline led to the restoration of TikTok’s services by January 19, 2025. However, the proposal has drawn mixed reactions. Senate Intelligence Committee Chairman Tom Cotton emphasized that “any agreement must ensure TikTok severs all ties with the Chinese government to safeguard American users’ privacy and security.”
The U.S. Supreme Court had previously upheld the constitutionality of PAFACA, further raising the stakes for ByteDance. As Trump prepares to take office, his handling of the TikTok situation signals a robust approach to addressing foreign influence on American technology platforms.