Trump pushes to break up TikTok
President Trump plans to announce an executive order soon aimed at forcing Beijing-based ByteDance to sell U.S. operations for the popular social media platform TikTok, according to multiple reports on Friday.
Bloomberg reported that Trump could sign the executive order as soon as Friday, citing sources familiar with the matter.
Trump told reporters while leaving the White House earlier in the day that he was “looking at TikTok” and considering a ban.
“We may be banning TikTok, we may be doing some other things,” Trump said. “There are a couple of options, but a lot of things are happening so we will see what happens. We are looking at a lot of alternatives with TikTok.”
Trump’s comments echo those of Secretary of State Mike Pompeo, who said last month that the administration was considering banning Chinese-owned apps, including TikTok, due to national security concerns.
The White House did not have any immediate further comment, while the Treasury Department did not immediately respond to The Hill’s requests for comment.