Treasury Secretary Scott Becent said Tuesday that President Donald Trump was trying to darken Tiktok, a “change of the tide” in the framework of his deal with China.
“President Trump has made it clear that he darkened Tiktok and that we had no intention of abandoning national security in favor of the deal,” Bescent told CNBC’s “Scoobox.”
ByteDance, the parent company of Tiktok, is still considering a September 17 deadline, which could sell the app’s US business or close it domestically.
The Trump administration has not yet officially extended the deadline, but US trade representative Jamieson Greer said Monday that it could take more time to finalize and sign the deal.
Bessent said Tuesday that the commercial terms of transactions between the ordinance and new investors have been “essentially” since March or April.
He said the Chinese put the deal on hold after Trump’s massive tariff announcement on April 2.
Trump’s tariffs, trade threats and tipping restrictions have hampered relations between the world’s biggest economies, but the deal with Tiktok expects Trump and Chinese national president Xi Jinping to finalise the deal on Friday.
“We have been able to reach a series of agreements, mainly because it’s not a future that doesn’t affect our national security,” Bescent said Tuesday.
Trump may be open to darkening the app, but the White House launched its own Tiktok account last month. The administration has nearly 1 million followers on its platform.
“The kids wanted that so badly,” Trump said Tuesday outside the White House. “My parents called me. They don’t want that for themselves. They want it for their kids.
Many potential US owners have come to light over the past few months, with Trump expressing his support for Oracle Chairman Larry Ellison or Tesla CEO Elon Musk.
CBS News reported Monday that Oracle is one of “multiple companies” in a potential transaction, citing sources.
Oracle is already the key to Tiktok’s web infrastructure, Reuters reported in January.
News Services are lined up to take over the US business of apps with a huge cloud handling data collection and software updates, with the White House signing an agreement with Oracle and a group of outside investors.
