Headline Roundup • July 2nd, 2025
Trump Says He's Found a Buyer for TikTok
Summary from the AllSides News Team
President Donald Trump said on Sunday that a group of “very wealthy people” has agreed to purchase TikTok, a Chinese-owned video app that poses national security concerns. The identity of the buyers will be revealed in two weeks, said Trump.
The Details: Trump made the announcement during an interview on Fox News Channel’s “Sunday Morning Futures with Maria Bartiromo.” The transaction is contingent upon Chinese President Xi Jingping’s approval, which Trump predicts will be given. ByteDance, which owns TikTok, has until Sept. 17 to sell it to a US-based company or else be banned in the US. CNN (Lean Left) reported that potential buyers include TikTok’s US technology partner Oracle, Shark Tank star Kevin O’Leary, artificial intelligence firm Perplexity, or social media influencer Jimmy Donaldson and Employer.com founder Jesse Tinsley.
For Context: A law passed in 2024 required TikTok to be sold to a non-Chinese company by January 2025 or face a ban in the US over concerns of sensitive user data being accessible to the Chinese government. Since then, Trump has extended this deadline three times. In April, the White House was close to a deal that would have made 50% of TikTok's ownership American, but the deal was halted after Trump announced tariffs on Chinese imports.
How the Media Covered It: The New York Times (Lean Left bias) highlighted potential complications in the sale, including the hesitation of private equity firms to invest without indemnification. Reuters (Center) and other outlets in the center focused primarily on the legislative background. Reuters attributed the app’s extension to Trump, who credited it “with boosting his support among young voters in last November's presidential election.” Just The News (Lean Right) included speculation about potential buyers, specifically noting Kevin O’Leary.
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Featured Coverage of this Story
Brook Joyner/CNN
President Donald Trump revealed on Sunday that his administration found a buyer for TikTok and he will reveal their identity within the next two weeks.
He said there is a group of "very wealthy people" behind the potential deal.
Shark Tank investor Kevin O'Leary has previously expressed an interest in buying the app but it is unclear if he is involved in the group Trump is set to reveal.
Hyoung Chang/The Denver Post)
President Trump said in a Sunday interview that he has found a buyer for TikTok, the popular video-sharing app Congress voted to ban if its China-based parent company, ByteDance, did not divest from the platform.
“We have a buyer for TikTok, by the way,” Trump said in an interview on Fox News’s “Sunday Morning Futures” with Maria Bartiromo.
Robyn Beck/Agence France-Presse
President Trump said on Sunday that he had a buyer for the U.S. branch of TikTok, the popular Chinese-owned video app that faces a ban over national security concerns.
In an interview on the Fox News program “Sunday Morning Futures With Maria Bartiromo” that aired on Sunday, Mr. Trump said, “We have a buyer for TikTok, by the way.”
He added that he would need China’s approval, but “I think President Xi will probably do it,” in reference to China’s leader, Xi Jinping.
