The first thing to understand about the TikTok deal is that it’s not actually a deal—at least not in any official capacity yet. Trump’s executive order Thursday simply delays the Chinese social media app from being banned in the U.S. (as required by a law passed in the spring of 2024) for another 120 days, while the various parties seek to finalize an agreement.
So there’s a lot we don’t know about the agreement, and there’s a lot that could change.
But if you listen closely to everything that was said during Trump’s signing ceremony, and if you piece together the official White House statements as well as various press reports about the deal, a couple things become clear:
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The China-built algorithm at the heart of the U.S. national security concerns will continue to serve content to Americans, albeit with some kind of oversight and “retraining.”
- The deal creates an opportunity for a lot of the people involved to make money.
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