Talks between Microsoft and TikTok parent company ByteDance were halted after President Trump voiced his opposition to the deal, Wall Street Journal reported Saturday. And while the deal doesn't seem to be dead, both sides are reportedly trying to get a grip on where the Trump administration is, and if they're planning any future action against the Chinese video sharing app.
President Trump told reporters on Friday that he was preparing to bar TikTok from working in the US. As far as TikTok is concerned, we 're barring them from the United States, Trump told reporters on Air Force One.
Bloomberg notes that the President said he was willing to sign a ban order document as early as today, either by an executive order or through emergency economic forces.
I'm going to sign the document tomorrow, he said on Friday night, indicating that a ban could take effect essentially immediately.
Microsoft had advanced discussions with ByteDance prior to the President 's remarks, the WSJ said. Trump's comments prompted TikTok to decide to commit 10,000 workers to the US. If that's really going to happen after the President 's statement became uncertain on Saturday. According to the WSJ, an agreement was possible as early as Monday.
Reuters stated on Saturday that ByteDance had decided to sell its US activities to keep the Trump administration from blocking it in the US and that Microsoft would be responsible for protecting US consumer data. The plan would have allowed another American company to take over TikTok in the United States.
The administration has been threatening to ban the video-sharing app for a few weeks; Secretary of State Mike Pompeo said on July 7 that the ban was something we're looking at. President Trump said on Friday, we 're banning them from the United States," but did not provide any specifics other than what he planned to do on Saturday.
TikTok US General Manager Vanessa Pappas said in a video on Saturday that we 're not intending to go anywhere and that the organization is here for the long term.
TikTok is a subsidiary of Beijing-based ByteDance and has been scrutinized for its privacy policies and alleged links to the Chinese government. Pompeo compared TikTok to Huawei and ZTE, two Chinese firms that the Trump administration has described as a danger to US national security.
Last month, TikTok users and K-pop fans urged followers to purchase tickets to President Trump 's rally in Tulsa but not to turn up in an effort to leave the rally seats vacant. The rally's attendance was smaller than the Trump campaign had predicted.
