The future of TikTok in the U.S. has been a real soap opera. It keeps making headlines. U.S. officials often worry about who owns the popular app. Its Chinese roots are a concern for them.
President Donald Trump recently dropped a new hint. On July 4, he said talks would begin next week. These chats are set for July 7 to July 10. The goal is to buy TikTok.
Aboard Air Force One, Trump sounded pretty positive. He even told reporters that the U.S. “pretty much has a deal.” He mentioned talking directly with China’s President Xi Jinping. Or it could be one of Mr. Xi’s key representatives.
Still, he was asked about China’s agreement. Trump admitted, “I’m not confident.” That’s a direct quote. Yet, he believes his good relationship with Mr. Xi helps. He also sees the deal as beneficial for China.
This isn’t the first time TikTok has faced a deadline. Just last month, Trump pushed back the sale deadline again. The new cutoff date is September 17. This marks the fourth time the date has shifted.
If these talks work out, U.S. companies would buy TikTok’s U.S. operations. The parent company, ByteDance, would keep its other parts.
Getting this deal done has been tough before. Earlier, Trump’s administration added tariffs on Chinese goods. This made China less willing to even discuss a sale. It pretty much stopped things cold.