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Trump to Sign Executive Order Approving TikTok Divestiture Deal

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President Donald Trump will sign an executive order on Thursday affirming that a deal under negotiation to sell TikTok’s U.S. operations meets the requirements of a 2024 law, according to a White House source.

The law, passed last year by Congress, mandates that TikTok’s Chinese parent company ByteDance must divest its U.S. assets or face a ban of the short video app, which has 170 million American users.

Trump, who has 15 million followers on his personal TikTok account, has publicly credited the platform with helping him win re-election in 2024. The White House itself launched an official TikTok account last month.

The administration has delayed enforcement of the divestiture law until mid-December to give time for negotiations, including lining up American investors and structuring the transaction to qualify as a full separation from ByteDance.

Thursday’s executive order is also expected to extend the compliance deadline, providing additional time for the deal to be finalized.

Trump team says TikTok U.S. divestiture deal close, Oracle and Silver Lake among investors

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The White House said Monday that President Donald Trump will soon certify a deal to separate TikTok’s U.S. operations from Chinese parent ByteDance, declaring it compliant with the 2024 divestiture law.

Under the agreement, ByteDance’s stake will fall below 20%, with control shifting to a mix of existing U.S. stakeholders and new investors, including Oracle and private equity firm Silver Lake. Additional “household name” investors are expected to be announced, according to a senior official.

Key deal terms include:

  • Oracle will provide U.S.-based cloud infrastructure to store all American user data.

  • Prominent U.S. investors such as Lachlan Murdoch, Larry Ellison, and Michael Dell are expected to participate.

  • The U.S. government will not take a board seat or a “golden share” in the new entity.

  • TikTok’s U.S. assets are valued at “many billions of dollars,” though an exact figure is pending.

The Trump administration is confident Beijing has signed off on the framework, though some paperwork still needs to be finalized. China’s embassy in Washington said it welcomed “productive commercial negotiations” that respected both nations’ laws and interests.

TikTok, with 170 million American users, faced a looming ban after Congress passed a law requiring ByteDance to divest U.S. operations by January 2025. Trump previously extended enforcement to mid-December to allow negotiations. His new executive order will add another 120-day pause to give investors and ByteDance time to close the deal.

The agreement marks a rare breakthrough in strained U.S.–China trade relations and could prevent a forced shutdown of one of the world’s most popular social media platforms in America.

Trump–Xi call breathes life into TikTok U.S. asset sale talks

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A call between U.S. President Donald Trump and Chinese President Xi Jinping has revived hopes for a deal that would see ByteDance divest TikTok’s U.S. assets, though key details remain unsettled.

Trump posted on Truth Social that he appreciated Xi’s “approval of the TikTok deal,” though China’s readout stopped short of endorsing a sale. Beijing instead emphasized respect for market-based negotiations that comply with Chinese law. Analysts said the difference in tone suggests both leaders want to project progress while keeping leverage in ongoing talks.

The tentative breakthrough comes after months of deadlock. Congress mandated ByteDance sell TikTok’s U.S. assets by January 2025 or face a nationwide ban, but Trump has repeatedly extended deadlines, citing TikTok’s popularity with American voters and its political value. The latest extension runs until December 19.

Still, major hurdles remain: the ownership structure, the degree of Chinese control over TikTok’s algorithm, and whether Congress will sign off. Reuters has reported that any U.S. version of TikTok under new ownership would likely continue using ByteDance’s algorithm, a sticking point for lawmakers worried about data security and influence operations.

China blocked a similar deal earlier this year amid trade tensions, and experts say it may do so again if U.S. demands cross Beijing’s red lines. “The contours of the conversation better align with China’s interests than U.S. interests,” said Scott Kennedy of CSIS, noting structural reforms were not on the table.

Wendy Cutler of the Asia Society Policy Institute called the talks “positive and constructive” but stressed that the algorithm question remains unresolved.

For now, the deal remains fragile: Beijing wants to protect its tech assets, Washington wants to claim victory on national security, and Trump is balancing political calculations against congressional pressure. Months of negotiations still lie ahead.