Former U.S. President Donald Trump announced that the United States will initiate discussions with China this week regarding a potential deal over the popular video-sharing app TikTok. The statement comes amid renewed scrutiny over the app's Chinese ownership and long-standing concerns about national security and data privacy.

National Security at the Forefront

The talks are expected to address key U.S. concerns about TikTok’s data handling and its parent company, ByteDance. Since Trump’s first executive order in 2020 aiming to ban the app unless sold to a U.S. entity, the issue has remained in legal limbo. Lawmakers have cited fears that Chinese authorities could access American user data—allegations both ByteDance and TikTok have denied.

Political Timing Raises Eyebrows

Trump’s announcement comes at a time of heightened geopolitical tensions and as the 2024 U.S. presidential election race heats up. His return to the TikTok debate—despite recently joining the platform himself—has raised questions about whether the move is politically motivated or aimed at pushing stricter tech policy.

Bipartisan Pressure to Decouple TikTok

Both Republican and Democratic lawmakers have intensified pressure on the Biden administration to force ByteDance to divest TikTok’s U.S. operations or face a potential ban. Earlier this year, the House passed legislation demanding the same, though progress in the Senate remains stalled.

What’s at Stake in the Talks

Any agreement would have major implications for U.S.-China tech relations and for TikTok’s 170+ million users in the U.S. A successful deal could involve transferring data to domestic servers, altering ownership structures, or placing operational oversight under U.S. entities—measures TikTok has previously proposed under “Project Texas.”