Trump Signs Executive Order for TikTok’s US Operations

President Donald Trump signed an executive order on Wednesday, allowing TikTok to keep operating in the United States. This decision comes as the Chinese app is set to have a majority stake in a newly formed joint venture.

The agreement involves Bytedance, TikTok’s parent company based in China, divesting its US operations to a group of American investors, as reported by Breitbart News. Earlier this week, Oracle, a significant American tech firm co-founded by Larry Ellison, was mentioned in connection with the deal. Bloomberg noted that Oracle would be responsible for creating a safer version of TikTok’s algorithm, essentially “from scratch.”

Trump delayed a potential ban on TikTok to allow sufficient time for the contract to be finalized. Vice President JD Vance indicated there was “resistance on China” when the order was signed.

Trump mentioned to reporters in the Oval Office that he had a productive conversation with President Xi, expressing his respect for him. “We discussed TikTok among other topics, and he gave us assurance,” Trump stated.

He continued by highlighting that the app would be managed by “great” American investors, emphasizing Vice President Vance’s significant role in negotiations related to China.

Vance expressed gratitude to Trump, stating, “We couldn’t have reached this point without the president’s leadership in closing the deal. There was indeed resistance on China.”

The central goal, according to Vance, is to ensure that TikTok can continue its operations while safeguarding American data privacy in line with legal requirements, which is crucial to protect citizens from potential propaganda.

The newly formed company will be operated by a board of directors qualified in national security and cybersecurity. The ordinance will permit only one of the seven board members to be selected, as reported by News Nation, and it will be kept out of the company’s security committee.

Oracle is set to oversee the security of TikTok’s US operations and enhance the algorithms. The report indicated that “US data will be stored domestically with no access from China in a secure cloud environment built by Oracle.” Technical controls are in place to safeguard US systems, providing specific access controls for both individuals and data.

Trump noted that “young people” were eager for this deal to proceed so they could keep using TikTok. He reflected on his own use of the platform during his campaign, which he found to be successful in reaching younger voters. “Did Charlie really help me too?” he pondered, referencing conservative activist Charlie Kirk.