Trump signs TikTok deal — live updates
This could be a big day for vertical videos
Trump claims algorithm won't change with sale
During the signing, Trump was asked if the new algorithm would feature more MAGA-content. He said no.
“If I could make it 100% MAGA, I would, but it’s not going to work out that way, unfortunately,” Trump said. “No, everyone’s going to be treated fairly. Every group, every philosophy, every policy will be treated very fairly.”
White House claims it saved TikTok
President Donald J. Trump and @VP Vance SAVE TikTok from a ban while protecting America's national security by removing TikTok in the U.S. from China's control. 🇺🇸THE ART OF THE DEAL. 🔥 pic.twitter.com/Khl8QRnhNiSeptember 25, 2025
The official White House X account posted about the TikTok executive order, where it's being positioned as Trump saving TikTok from a ban (one that Trump initiated during his first administration).
"President Donald J. Trump and Vance SAVE TikTok from a ban while protecting America's national security by removing TikTok in the U.S. from China's control."
ByteDance isn't shutout
While the sale of TikTok has been predicated on removing Chinese influence from the social media app, the parent company, ByteDance, will still own a portion of TikTok USA.
CNBC reports that ByteDance will hold around 20% of the company while another 35% will be in the hands of ByteDance investors and other new holders.
That's coupled with Oracle, Silver Lake and Abu Dhabi's MGX which will hold 45% of the company. It's not clear what other American investors will be involved in that final 35%.
Oracle's involvement
Apart from being an investor, Oracle will also take over TikTok's security and provide cloud-computing services to the company, according to CNBC.
Other investors include General Atlantic, Susquehanna and Sequoia, but the U.S. government will not own a stake in the new enterprise,
China still needs to approve
Although Trump signed an executive order, China also needs to approve of the sale. The new consortium would oversee the U.S. side of TikTok, while ByteDance would keep a little less than 20%.
According to CNBC, Oracle, Silver Lake and MGX, an Abu Dhabi-based investment fund will own about 45% of the new entity.
TikTok sale signed
Finally ending a months-long saga, Trump signed an order approving a sale of TikTok valued at $14 billion, according to Vice President JD Vance. According to reports, TikTok's U.S. business will be sold to a consortium, though the details of the partnership have not been confirmed.
Trump has finally entered the Oval Office
Trump has apparently entered the Oval Office and is set to sign a variety of executive orders including the TikTok deal.
How will TikTok change?
If the deal is signed today, the biggest change in the United States will be related to TikTok's algorithm, which uses machine learning and user behavior to determine how you experience your feed.
Potentially, this puts the feed under the control of Trump's administration and the purview of Oracle, led by one of Trump's biggest supporters. There are fears that the government having direct control over the app will hand more influence to current administration which could drive users away.
Analysts told The Independent that a US-centric algorithm will "degrade" the experience and brands on the app might go elsewhere.
Separate US TikTok app?
A question from CNN is whether the new deal will require TikTok users in the United States to download an additional app, or if they'll simply be able to continue using the same version of the app with some kind of update.
If it's the former, that could hurt TikTok's numbers, as many people may not even realize they need a new app. There are other questions, such as whether the algorithm being controlled by allies of the President is a good thing, but downloading a new app could be an even bigger problem.
No signature yet
While the deal is expected to be finalized today, no signing has occurred yet, based on the reporting we've found. It's possible the President is preparing to finalize the deal after spending the afternoon with Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan. We'll continue to monitor the situation, but for now, it's just a matter of waiting.
And remember, the deal being signed is just another step in the process. There's plenty more to come before TikTok ownership is officially transferred.
User data after the deal
According to a senior White House official, a significant change, and one that makes the deal appear more favorable to the U.S., is that American users' data will be stored in the United States, rather than in China. It will be overseen by the software and cloud computing company Oracle.
The content on the app will be monitored to ensure that U.S. videos are free from outside manipulation, which is a key security concern with the app in its current iteration.
Main investors
According to reports, the main companies investing in TikTok will be Oracle, Silver Lake and Abu Dhabi’s MGX. Those three companies are expected to control about 45% of TikTok USA. ByteDance will hold 19.9% of the U.S. version of the company and will own about 20%, and the remaining 35% belong to ByteDance investors and new stakeholders.
Are we done if this deal is signed?
If Trump signs the deal and provides an extension, we're far from done. As noted by CNN, "Although both US and Chinese officials have signaled they are aligned on the deal’s framework, it will still likely require regulatory approvals from both countries."
The deal is a significant step towards TikTok being acquired by a team of U.S. investors, but TikTok won't be completely out of danger yet. If regulatory approvals are not obtained, we could be back to square one again.
Oracle's co-founder Larry Ellison involved?
In an interview with Fox News, President Donald Trump said that Oracle's co-founder Larry Ellison would play a role in the deal, though he didn't get into specifics.
"Larry Ellison is one of them. He’s involved. This great guy, Michael Dell is involved. I hate to tell you this, but a man named Lachlan is involved. Do you know who Lachlan is? That’s a very unusual name, Lachlan Murdoch," the president said.
Turkish President departs
President Donald Trump met with Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan. While the meeting was ultimately about lifting the U.S. hold on the sale of F-35 fighter jets to Turkey and other things, it's also the reason the deal hasn't been signed yet, as Trump has been busy with that.
Now that Erdoğan has left, Trump is free to move on to other parts of his day, which will likely include signing the TikTok deal, if the reports from White House Officials are correct.
Deadline extending might finally be over
President Trump has extended the TikTok ban deadline several times in an attempt to allow ByteDance and U.S. investors to make a deal. While it took longer than expected, White House officials have told NBC News that the deal should be signed by the President on Thursday, September 25, 2025.
However, there might be one more extension coming, as Trump is expected to put a 120-day pause on the ban to allow this new deal to be officially implemented. Selling multi-billion-dollar companies doesn't happen overnight, after all. He already implemented a ban through December 19 in an executive order.
