Former US President Donald Trump will sign an executive order on Thursday affirming that a deal under negotiation to sell TikTok’s US operations meets the requirements of a 2024 law mandating divestiture from its Chinese parent company, ByteDance, a White House source confirmed.
The law, passed by Congress, requires TikTok to cut ties with Chinese ownership or face a nationwide ban. Trump has delayed enforcement of the law until mid-December, allowing time to extract TikTok’s US assets, secure American investors, and finalize a qualified divestiture. The upcoming order is expected to include a further extension of that deadline.
TikTok, with 170 million users in the US, has been politically significant for Trump, who credits the app with helping him secure re-election last year. He has 15 million followers on his personal account, while the White House launched an official TikTok account just last month.
The move comes as negotiations continue to ensure TikTok’s US business fully complies with the divestiture requirements while maintaining its massive user base and influence.
