Trump Increases Pressure on TikTok: "Sell Assets in the U.S. Within 90 Days"

Extension of Sale Deadline from 45 to 90 Days
Allowing More Time for Sale Negotiations While Solidifying Sale as a Foregone Conclusion

[Image source=Yonhap News]

[Asia Economy Reporter Minwoo Lee] U.S. President Donald Trump has ordered the Chinese mobile application (app) TikTok operator to sell its assets in the United States within 90 days. This appears to be an effort to increase pressure to transfer TikTok to an American company.

According to major foreign media including Bloomberg, on the 14th (local time), President Trump ordered ByteDance, TikTok's parent company, to sell all assets related to TikTok's U.S. business within 90 days. The reason cited was that ByteDance could threaten U.S. national security.

Steven Mnuchin, U.S. Secretary of the Treasury, explained, "The Committee on Foreign Investment in the United States (CFIUS), under the Treasury Department, thoroughly investigated the matter," adding, "The unanimous recommendation to the President was made to prevent misuse of personal information of U.S. users." CFIUS is a Treasury Department agency that investigates the impact of foreign investments on U.S. national security.

Accordingly, ByteDance must sell all assets necessary for operations in the U.S., including the American video social network application 'Musical.ly,' which merged with TikTok. The order also includes a provision requiring ByteDance to destroy all copies of information collected through TikTok in the U.S. This reflects concerns that personal information of U.S. citizens could flow to the Chinese government via ByteDance.

This move is interpreted as a strategic step to further pressure the sale of TikTok. Earlier, on the 6th, President Trump signed an executive order banning TikTok's use in the U.S. if ByteDance did not sell it. The original deadline for the sale was 45 days, but this order extended it to 90 days. This both gives ByteDance more time to finalize sale negotiations and increases pressure. Currently, Microsoft (MS) in the U.S. is reported to be negotiating the acquisition of ByteDance and TikTok.

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.