U.S. Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick has warned that TikTok will be banned from operating in the U.S. if China does not approve a pending deal to sell the app’s U.S. operations. The popular video platform, owned by China’s ByteDance, has approximately 170 million users in the country.
Speaking on CNBC, Lutnick stressed that American ownership and control of TikTok’s core algorithm is non-negotiable. “China can have a little piece or ByteDance can keep a little piece. But Americans will own the technology and control the algorithm,” he said. “If China approves the deal, it will happen. If not, TikTok will go dark—and those decisions are coming very soon.”
President Donald Trump extended ByteDance’s divestment deadline by 90 days last month, pushing it to September 17, despite a 2024 law that had required the company to sell or shut down TikTok by January 19 unless significant progress had been made.
A proposed spring deal to spin off TikTok’s U.S. business into a new American-led company fell through after China signaled it would not approve the transaction. This came shortly after Trump imposed steep tariffs on Chinese goods, escalating tensions between the two countries.
The Justice Department, under Attorney General Pam Bondi, also sent letters to Apple, Google, and other companies hosting TikTok, stating it would not pursue legal action for any prior violations of the law. The department cited concerns that a sudden shutdown would interfere with Trump’s national security and foreign policy responsibilities.
Meanwhile, some Democratic lawmakers have questioned Trump’s authority to extend the deadline and argue that the current deal under consideration may not meet legal standards.
TikTok has not issued any immediate response.
