By Dan Gooding,Gabe Whisnant

Copyright newsweek

President Donald Trump on Thursday signed an executive order declaring that a proposed agreement to bring TikTok under U.S. ownership would address national security concerns.

The move is a key step toward allowing the popular video-sharing app to continue operating in the United States. Trump told reporters that China has agreed to the arrangement, saying, “They’re on board.”

Newsweek reached out to TikTok for comment via email Thursday afternoon.

Why It Matters

The deal comes after discussion between the U.S., China and TikTok’s owners after the first Trump administration raised concerns of national security and then-President Joe Biden gave a January 2025 deadline for a deal to be reached or the app be shut down. Trump then said he wanted to secure an agreement, keeping the app online temporarily.

U.S. President Donald Trump, right, speaks with Chinese President Xi Jinping during a welcome ceremony at the Great Hall of the People in Beijing on November 9, 2017. (AP Photo/Andy Wong, File)

What To Know

Much is still unknown about the actual deal in the works, but Trump said Thursday that Chinese leader Xi Jinping has approved it. Any major change to the popular video platform could have a huge impact on how Americans—particularly young adults and teenagers—consume information online.

About 43 percent of U.S. adults younger than 30 say they regularly get news from TikTok, a higher percentage than any other social media app including YouTube, Facebook and Instagram, according to a Pew Research Center report published Thursday.

Under the terms of the deal that have so far been revealed by the White House, the app will be spun off into a new U.S. joint venture owned by a consortium of American investors—including Oracle and investment firm Silver Lake Partners.

Though the details have yet to be finalized, the investment group’s total stake would be around 80 percent, while ByteDance is expected to have a 20 percent stake in the entity. The board running the new platform would be controlled by U.S. investors. ByteDance would be represented by one person on the board, but they would be excluded from any security matters or related committees.

TikTok’s new owners include many whose business or political interests are tied to Trump, including Oracle co-founder Larry Ellison and Rupert Murdoch, raising questions about whether political influence will be exerted on the platform.

Although he stepped down as Oracle’s CEO more than a decade ago, Ellison remains heavily involved in its operations, as chairman and chief technology officer. Now 81, he could be in line to become a behind-the-scenes media power player, having already helped finance Skydance’s recently completed $8 billion merger with Paramount, a deal engineered by his son, David.

Trump also mentioned Dell founder Michael Dell will be an investor in the new venture.

The recommendation algorithm that has steered millions of users into an endless stream of video shorts has been central in the security debate over TikTok. China previously maintained the algorithm must remain under Chinese control by law. But a U.S. regulation that Congress passed with bipartisan support said any divestment of TikTok must mean the platform cut ties with ByteDance.

American officials previously warned the algorithm—a complex system of rules and calculations that platforms use to deliver content to your feed—is vulnerable to manipulation by Chinese authorities, who can use it to shape messaging on the platform in a way that’s difficult to detect, but no evidence has ever been presented by U.S. officials showing that China has attempted to do so.

During Thursday’s Oval Office briefing, Vice President JD Vance said that the administration wanted to ensure the algorithm would not be used as a propaganda arm for a foreign government, adding that it would be fair to all.

Although the details remain unclear, a Trump administration official said that a licensed copy of the ByteDance-created algorithm—retrained solely with U.S. data—would power the new U.S. version of the app. Administration officials say this retraining effort would nullify any risk of Chinese interference and influence.

What People Are Saying

Vance, while standing alongside Trump during the Oval Office announcement: “This deal really does mean Americans can use TikTok but actually use it with more confidence than they had in the past because their data is secure and it won’t be used as a propaganda weapon like it has in the past.”

Trump, in the Oval Office: “I had a very good talk with President Xi, I have a lot of respect for him … We talked about TikTok, and he gave us the go-ahead. It’s run by American investors, American companies. Great ones, great investors.”

What’s Next

Trump and Vance said the deal would ensure legislation passed by Congress on TikTok would be honored. Congressional review is…