Trump Approves TikTok Deal Valued at $14B

23 HOURS AGO·UPDATED 12 HOURS AGO

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Above: Donald Trump signs an executive order about TikTok in the Oval Office on Sept. 25, 2025. Image copyright: Saul Loeb/AFP/Getty Images

The Spin

Republican narrative

Trump has masterfully negotiated a TikTok deal that protects American national security while keeping the app alive for 170 million users. The agreement ensures American investors control the algorithm, prevents foreign propaganda manipulation and generates $178 billion in economic activity. This demonstrates the president's unmatched deal-making skillset that will succeed in putting America first.

Trump White House FOX News

Democratic narrative

The TikTok deal creates dangerous loopholes that undermine the original ban's purpose by allowing ByteDance to retain influence through algorithm licensing. This isn't the clean break Congress mandated, as operational relationships with Beijing persist through shared technology. The arrangement fails to deliver true security from Chinese Communist Party control.

South China Morning Post CNBC

Establishment-critical narrative

The TikTok deal is less about security than protecting Silicon Valley’s dominance. Washington long promoted a “free internet” so U.S. firms could expand unchecked, but now that a Chinese app has challenged Meta, officials are forcing a fire sale. Stripping ByteDance of control and transferring authority to U.S. investors is economic nationalism disguised as security, shielding U.S. tech elites while undermining global fair play.

Jacobin