Arrangements have been made for President Trump to hold a meeting with top White House officials on Wednesday, where he will go over a proposal that may determine whether TikTok continues to operate in the United States, according to two individuals who are aware of the discussion.
What Mr. Trump is expected to evaluate is a proposed change in ownership for TikTok, the highly used video-sharing app that belongs to the Chinese tech company ByteDance. U.S. lawmakers and government officials have continued to express concerns about the company’s connection to China, raising fears about national safety.
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A federal law passed last year has placed pressure on TikTok to either change its ownership structure or face being removed from the U.S. market. That deadline is currently set to expire this Saturday.
According to the two individuals, the meeting will involve Vice President JD Vance, who was chosen by Mr. Trump back in February to take the lead in finding a way to preserve TikTok’s presence in the country. Others expected to attend include high-level members of the administration.
They also mentioned that private equity firm Blackstone and tech company Oracle may be included in the proposed new structure. TikTok’s status in the U.S. continues to attract major attention, and this new development adds to the long-running story that has surrounded the app.
The Fate of TikTok
Although it has become extremely popular in the United States, TikTok has faced growing concern from lawmakers and state leaders. Mr. Trump, who has repeatedly said he wants the app to be saved, already extended the time frame for a resolution once in January.
He has hinted that he may push the deadline again if an acceptable plan is not in place by early this month. When asked about the matter, TikTok did not provide a response immediately.
There are still questions about whether the type of deal being considered would meet the conditions set by federal law. One of those conditions states that no more than 20 percent of the app or its parent company can be under the control of individuals or businesses based in countries that the United States views as foreign adversaries, a list which includes China.
The same law also prevents any new version of TikTok from working closely with ByteDance on operating the app’s video-suggestion system or from entering any sort of agreement that would involve sharing user data.
Only last week, Mr. Trump hinted that he could ease tariffs planned for Chinese goods if the Chinese government gives its support to the agreement being discussed.
TikTok has stated several times that the app is not up for sale. The company partly explains this position by saying that officials in China would most likely block any attempt to sell the business.
