Trump Advocates for 50% U.S. Ownership of TikTok

The United States President-elect, Donald Trump, has announced his intention for the Chinese-owned short-form video app TikTok to be at least 50% owned by U.S. investors.

He made this declaration during a rally in Washington on Sunday, a day before his inauguration.

Addressing supporters, Trump highlighted TikTok’s reliance on government approval for its value in the U.S. market.

“Let the United States of America own 50% of TikTok,” he said. “TikTok is worth nothing, zero, without an approval. If you do approve, they’re worth like a trillion dollars, some crazy number. I’m approving on behalf of the United States, so they’ll have a partner, the United States, and they’ll have a lot of bidders. The United States will engage in what we call a joint venture,” he added

Temporary Service Disruption

On Sunday, TikTok briefly restricted access for U.S. users for approximately 12 hours due to a new U.S. law requiring its Chinese parent company, ByteDance, to divest its ownership of the app or face a nationwide ban.

Service restoration began after Trump assured TikTok’s service providers they would not face penalties. In a statement on X (formerly Twitter), TikTok confirmed the resumption of services:

“In agreement with our service providers, TikTok is in the process of restoring service,” the company stated.

“We thank President Trump for providing the necessary clarity and assurance to our service providers that they will face no penalties for providing TikTok to over 170 million Americans and enabling over 7 million small businesses to thrive. It’s a strong stand for the First Amendment and against arbitrary censorship. We will work with President Trump on a long-term solution to keep TikTok in the United States.”

Also Read: Trump Urges Supreme Court to Delay TikTok Divestment Deadline

On Truth Social, Trump revealed plans to issue an executive order on Monday, the day of his inauguration, to extend the timeline before the law’s prohibitions take effect.

“I will issue an executive order on Monday to extend the period before the law’s prohibitions take effect, so we can make a deal to protect national security. The order will also confirm that there will be no liability for any company that helped keep TikTok operational before my order,” Trump wrote.

He also underlined TikTok’s importance in broadcasting his inauguration, indicating his vested interest in keeping the platform operational.

Sunday’s service disruption highlighted the ongoing tensions between TikTok’s Chinese ownership and U.S. regulatory demands, with Trump’s intervention marking a pivotal moment in the app’s future within the United States.