Americans to Dominate Board of New TikTok US Entity: White House

A proposed deal for the Chinese parent company of the popular video-sharing app TikTok to sell its US operations would result in a board dominated by Americans, the White House announced on Saturday.

White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt told Fox News: “There will be seven seats on the board that controls the app in the United States, and six of those seats will be Americans.”

She added that the deal could be signed “in the coming days.”

The United States has long sought to remove TikTok’s US operations from the control of its Chinese parent company, ByteDance, citing national security concerns.

Under President Joe Biden, Congress passed a law requiring ByteDance to sell its US operations or face a ban on the app.

US policymakers, including former President Donald Trump, have warned that China could harvest data from Americans or influence content shown on the platform.

Interestingly, Trump himself leveraged TikTok during his successful 2024 presidential campaign to gain support among younger Americans.

Oracle, the tech firm owned by billionaire Larry Ellison and a prominent Trump supporter, is reportedly among the investors expected to take over TikTok’s US operations.

Leavitt confirmed Oracle’s role: “The data and privacy will be led by one of America’s greatest tech companies, Oracle, and the algorithm will also be controlled by America as well. All of those details have already been agreed upon. Now we just need this deal to be signed.”

Trump later told reporters at the White House: “We have great American patriots that are buying it. Very substantial people.”

He declined to specify who the seventh board member would be, stating it would be announced later.

The TikTok deal was also discussed in a phone call between Trump and Chinese President Xi Jinping on Friday.

Trump said Xi had “approved” the deal during the call but added: “We have to get it signed.”

China, however, has not confirmed any agreement.

Trump emphasised: “We’re going to have a very, very tight control. There’s tremendous value with TikTok, and I’m a little prejudiced because I frankly did so well on it.”

According to The Wall Street Journal, citing sources familiar with the negotiations, the US government could receive a multi-billion-dollar fee from the investors as part of the deal.

Summary Table: TikTok US Deal

The deal reflects bipartisan concern over TikTok while also illustrating the platform’s economic and political significance in the United States.