On July 26, 2025, it was reported that President Trump had previously maintained a friendly attitude towards the Chinese-controlled social media platform TikTok and had hoped for its continued operation in the United States. However, on the eve of trade talks between the US and China in Sweden, Trump’s Secretary of Commerce took a tough stance, stating that if China did not hand over TikTok’s algorithm and control to the US, the social media app would be shut down in the US.
Secretary of Commerce Lutnick stated on CNBC’s “Squawk on the Street” on July 24: “We have made a decision. You can’t have China controlling something and have it on a hundred million American phones.”
US and Chinese officials are set to hold trade talks in Sweden from July 27 to 30. Lutnick mentioned that while TikTok is not part of the formal agenda, it will be discussed during informal talks.
In April 2024, the US Congress passed the “Protecting Americans from Foreign Apps Act,” also known as the “Don’t Sell, Ban” Act, which prohibits TikTok from operating in the US unless it “adequately divests” entities controlled by foreign adversaries.
Lutnick emphasized the need for the US to have control over TikTok’s algorithm, stating, “Essentially, Americans will have control. Americans will have this technology. Americans will control the algorithm. This is what Donald Trump is willing to do.”
This marks the first time US officials have explicitly stated their determination to seize TikTok’s algorithm.
Previously, China attempted to continue operating TikTok in the US while retaining control of the algorithm.
In January of this year, ByteDance board member Bill Ford expressed at the World Economic Forum that he hoped to continue operating in the US without selling TikTok, suggesting options may involve local control changes to ensure compliance with US laws, without selling the app or its algorithm.
On January 10, during a Supreme Court hearing on TikTok’s appeal to overturn the “Protecting Americans from Foreign Apps Act,” TikTok’s defense lawyer claimed that the required divestment was unworkable.
On February 8, a TikTok spokesperson stated, “TikTok US cannot be acquired, for a simple reason, because then it will no longer exist.”
TikTok’s staunch stance stems from directives from the Chinese Communist Party. According to reports from The Wall Street Journal, the CCP ordered ByteDance not to sell TikTok. Five years ago, the CCP enacted a law specifically in response to pressure from the US to acquire TikTok.
During his first term in 2020, Trump banned US app platforms from offering TikTok and demanded that TikTok be sold to a US company. The CCP immediately updated export control rules covering various sensitive technologies, including technology that sounded similar to TikTok’s personalized recommendation engine. An article from Xinhua, China’s official news agency, noted that this new regulation meant ByteDance may need permission to sell TikTok’s algorithm to American buyers.
TikTok’s algorithm is a proprietary ranking system used to determine which TikTok videos are recommended to each user. Each user sees a unique combination of TikTok videos on their “For You” page – this dynamic is personalized and changes over time based on the algorithm capturing user interests and viewing preferences.
As TikTok’s algorithm determines the content users see, operators may manipulate information and shape opinions.
In an article published in the journal “Frontiers in Social Psychology” in January 2025, Professor Lee Jussim and others from Rutgers University-New Brunswick’s Department of Psychology conducted three studies exploring how TikTok is manipulated to hide content critical of the CCP while amplifying narratives that align with Communist Party objectives.
One study compared the nature and popularity of sensitive content related to the CCP on TikTok, Instagram, and YouTube, particularly content related to Tibet, Tiananmen Square, Uyghur rights, and Xinjiang. The results showed that the amount of content critical of the CCP on TikTok was significantly lower than on Instagram and YouTube.
The second study examined whether the popularity of pro and anti-CCP content on TikTok, Instagram, and YouTube aligned with user engagement metrics (likes and comments). While users engaged more with anti-CCP content, the ratio of pro-CCP content to anti-CCP content on TikTok was significantly higher, indicating propaganda manipulation.
The third study involved a survey of 1,214 Americans to assess their spending on three social media platforms and their views on the CCP. The results showed that TikTok users exhibited significantly more positive attitudes towards China’s human rights record and were more inclined to view China as a travel destination.
These findings indicate that the massive CCP propaganda apparatus is committed to controlling information flow, threatening freedom of speech and exploration.
During his reelection campaign and after winning a second term as President, Trump had initially hoped to preserve TikTok’s operations in the US. In June, Trump extended the deadline for TikTok to divest its US operations for the third time. The new deadline was set for September 17. Trump explained his favorable view of TikTok was due to the support from young users on the platform, which helped him secure a second term.
The CCP sought to exploit Trump’s sentiment towards TikTok, attempting to violate the Supreme Court’s ruling and continue operating in the US while maintaining control over TikTok.
According to a late January report by the Associated Press, US tech company Perplexity AI proposed a merger to ByteDance, TikTok’s parent company. Under this proposal, the headquarters in China would not completely sever ties with TikTok but contribute to TikTok’s operations in the US.
In addition, another proposal reported by National Public Radio involved Oracle and a group of external investors acquiring TikTok. In this scenario, ByteDance would retain a minority stake in TikTok, while Oracle would “supervise” TikTok’s algorithm, data collection, and software updates. The meaning of “supervise” in this context remains unclear, leaving uncertainty whether ByteDance would still be in charge of the algorithm, data collection, and software updates.
However, Trump’s congressional Republican allies have pushed back against these cunning moves by TikTok. Chairman Mullner of the House Select Committee on US-China Strategic Competition wrote in an article in National Review in April of this year, saying, “ByteDance, mother company of TikTok and a close ally of the Chinese Communist Party, is attempting to retain control over the app in any potential transaction. To sway public opinion, ByteDance has launched a large number of TikTok advertisements nationwide, which only fuels suspicions about the true nature of TikTok’s operations.”
He further stated, “This is why we should be more vigilant – ByteDance’s control over TikTok is jeopardizing our national security. The law clearly states that any transaction must eliminate Chinese influence and control over the app to safeguard our interests.”
Mullner also emphasized that allowing ByteDance to continue controlling TikTok in a transaction does not alleviate national security concerns and would directly violate the law. The “Protecting Americans from Foreign Apps Act” was passed earlier this year with bipartisan support and upheld by the Supreme Court, establishing clear rules for proper asset divestment: ByteDance must completely divest control of TikTok, with no say in its operation; both parties cannot share data, content, or algorithms. These are non-negotiable, any transaction not meeting these requirements would be illegal.
Under pressure from his Republican colleagues in Congress, Trump has begun to shift his stance on the TikTok issue.
Secretary of Commerce Lutnick stated that if China does not agree to US demands, “TikTok will be stopped.” He also said, “A decision will be made soon.”