TikTok teens can breathe again—Donald Trump and Xi Jinping are about to hop on a Friday call to seal a deal that keeps the app alive in the U.S. The plan? Hand TikTok’s reins to American ownership while letting it keep its “Chinese vibes.”
Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent bragged that the U.S. got “security,” China kept “soft power,” and everyone avoided the chaos of 170 million angry users posting goodbye dances. Trump, of course, reminded reporters that TikTok basically helped him win re-election—and with 15 million followers, he’s not shutting down his favorite stage.
The fine print is still murky: ByteDance might hand over control, algorithms could get licensed, and Congress may still throw a fit. But the Trump-Xi bromance moment was too juicy to waste, and insiders say the TikTok deal was leverage to get the two leaders on a call.
So yes, America’s most addictive doomscroll app survives—at least for now. The world’s two biggest economies may be fighting over chips, oil, and rare earths, but when it comes to viral dances, even superpowers can compromise.
