Trump says to speak to Xi about TikTok

US PRESIDENT Donald Trump confirmed he would speak to Chinese counterpart Xi Jinping on Friday about a deal to change ownership of the hugely popular video-sharing app TikTok.

Trump has repeatedly put off a ban against TikTok under a law designed to force the app’s sale from its Chinese parent company ByteDance for national security reasons.

Trump announced a deal earlier this week and said he would speak to Xi.

“We’re speaking to President Xi on Friday to see if we can finalise something on Tiktok, because there is tremendous value,” Trump said at a press conference with British Prime Minister Keir Starmer during a state visit.

Under the deal, TikTok would be “owned by all American investors, and very rich people and companies”, Trump said.

“Very, very straight, very legitimate companies and really companies that love America, so they’re going to be owning it,” he said.

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Trump added he believed TikTok had boosted his appeal to younger voters, helping him win the 2024 election.

On Tuesday, Trump extended a delay on enforcing the TikTok ban for a fourth time.

Republican Trump’s Democratic predecessor Joe Biden signed a law in 2024 to force the closure of TikTok.

The legislation was designed to address national security concerns over ByteDance and its potential ties to the Chinese government. AFP