President Trump Signals ‘Framework’ To Keep TikTok Running And Avoid Ban

TikTok might live on as a safe, U.S.-controlled social media app after all.

Just days before another deadline approaches related to the TikTok ban, President Trump signaled that there’s a “framework” to keep the app running in the United States.

Details are still a bit scarce, but here’s what we do know so far.

First, President Trump posted on his Truth Social account and made an obvious reference to the TikTok app: “A deal was also reached on a ‘certain’ company that young people in our Country very much wanted to save. They will be very happy!!” he wrote, capitalizing “country” as usual.

Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent also signaled that an agreement to keep the app running in the United States had become part of the trade talks with China in Madrid recently.

I reached out to TikTok representatives for more details about the deal but there was no immediate reply. The TikTok ban has been looming ever since it became law last year.

What happens next with TikTok

A key comment by Bissent made it a bit more clear what might happen this week, likely on Friday when Trump is scheduled to speak with Chinese President Xi Jinping and potentially confirm the agreement: “The framework is for a switch to a U.S.-controlled ownership,” he said. “We’re not going to talk about the commercial terms of the deal. It’s between two private parties, but the commercial terms have been agreed upon."

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Bissent also indicated the September 17 ban deadline could be extended until the framework is in place, which might mean the long term ban goes away.

A Chinese trade negotiator named Li Chenggang confirmed the deal as well in Madrid, but indicated this should not be viewed as a precedent.

“We would like to stress that the outcomes of the trade and economic consultations are hard won, and the US side should not, on the one hand, ask China to accommodate its concerns, whilst at the same time continue to suppress Chinese companies,” he said.

What U.S.-control of TikTok means

As far as the United States controlling the app, that points to a technical and operational challenge. To keep the data secure and private, the data center that houses user information and activity would need to be operated entirely by a U.S. firm such as Amazon or Google.

It’s not hard to surmise what could happen (e.g., what Trump meant by the word framework): ByeDance is the Chinese company that currently owns and operates TikTok. The framework might involve a company like Oracle taking over the TikTok app entirely in the United States, since merely partnering with a U.S. firm seems unlikely.

The other implication is that if a U.S. firm is taking over operations, ByteDance could still own the algorithm, which is the true innovation of the app. When you swipe through videos, the algorithm determines what you see next, often in a split second.

That’s the part that’s still unknown. If the framework involves “ownership" as Bissent said, then it’s still unclear what happens to the algorithm.

One report noted that the U.S. version would have an all knew algorithm.

Meanwhile, TikTok is popular all over the world, with some estimates indicating it is used by over 1.8 billion people worldwide. Around 170 million Americans use it.

It’s hard to imagine ByteDance allowing anyone else to have access to their secret sauce or any other proprietary information about user behavior.

For now, all we know is that TikTok might live on in the United States and that Trump is correct: That will make users happy.