Is This the End of TikTok as You Know It? Trump Thinks So

Washington, D.C. - U.S. President Donald Trump has announced that formal talks with China over the sale of TikTok are set to begin early this week-marking a fresh twist in a long-running tech and national security saga with global implications.

"I think we're gonna start Monday or Tuesday ... talking to China - perhaps President Xi or one of his representatives - but we would, we pretty much have a deal," Trump told reporters aboard Air Force One on Friday.

The statement comes after Trump issued a third extension last month on the looming TikTok ban, granting China-based ByteDance until September 17 to divest its U.S. operations or face a full ban of the app, which boasts over 170 million American users.

A Deal On Pause, Now Revived

A deal to spin off TikTok's U.S. assets into a U.S.-majority-owned entity had been in the works earlier this year. But those efforts stalled after Beijing pushed back-particularly following Trump's announcement of steep new tariffs on Chinese goods.

Now, Trump says both sides may be returning to the table.

"I think the deal is good for China and it's good for us," he said. "We'll probably have to get it approved by China. I'm not confident, but I think so. President Xi and I have a great relationship."

The back-and-forth comes amid growing bipartisan concern in the U.S. over Chinese tech influence, data security, and election-year politics.

A Game of Deadlines and Executive Orders

Trump's executive order in June was the third time he delayed the ban or forced sale of TikTok since taking office. The original deadline was June 19-now pushed to September 17.

Critics say the president is using executive power to circumvent legal challenges, including a Supreme Court ruling that upheld the original ban just days before Trump took office.

Senator Mark Warner, the Democratic vice-chair of the Senate Intelligence Committee, accused Trump of sidestepping the law: "This is not how we handle foreign interference or national security threats."

TikTok Responds, Thanks Trump and Vance

In a same-day statement, TikTok appeared optimistic, thanking Trump and Vice President JD Vance for their "leadership" and pledging to "continue working with Vice President Vance's office" toward a solution.

ByteDance has not issued a separate statement but is reportedly under internal pressure from both Beijing regulators and U.S. investors eager to finalize a deal before the election season tightens.

What Comes Next

If talks do resume this week, the focus will likely be on national security assurances, ownership structure, and whether China will authorize the transfer of TikTok's algorithm or user data management-which has long been a sticking point.

Whether this deal crosses the finish line-or stalls again under political or diplomatic pressure-remains to be seen.

For now, the clock is ticking.