Younger Americans Panic as President Trump Targets China’s Grip on Social Media Giant
President Donald Trump’s administration is taking bold action to kick Communist China out of American tech — and TikTok is in the crosshairs.
Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick issued a clear warning Thursday: the popular app TikTok will be shut down across the United States unless Chinese-owned ByteDance agrees to give up control to American hands — including ownership of its secretive algorithm.
“You can’t have a Chinese-controlled app on 100 million American phones,” Lutnick told CNBC. “It’s not OK. Period.”
Lutnick confirmed that under President Trump’s new order, only an American-controlled version of TikTok will be allowed to operate — one where U.S. citizens control the technology, the content delivery, and the data.
“Americans will own it. Americans will run it. And Americans will decide how the algorithm works,” he added. “ByteDance might keep a small stake, but control must come home.”
Biden Let It Slide — Trump Is Cracking Down
TikTok was supposed to be banned months ago after Congress passed a law forcing ByteDance to sell or face a total U.S. blackout. But Joe Biden failed to enforce it before leaving office.
President Trump acted swiftly with an executive order delaying the ban just long enough to negotiate a possible deal that keeps the app running — on America’s terms.
That deal is now in China’s hands. The next enforcement deadline is September 17.
“If China approves it, the deal will go through,” Lutnick said. “If they don’t? TikTok will go dark. The decision is now theirs.”
Trump previously secured a deal in April, but negotiations were stalled after he imposed tough new reciprocal tariffs on Chinese imports — part of his ongoing America First trade strategy.
TikTok Panic Among the Young, But Patriots Cheer
The move has triggered panic among young Americans addicted to the app, many of whom rely on TikTok for entertainment and political messaging.
But for millions of older, patriotic Americans, Trump’s bold stand is a breath of fresh air — a long-overdue move to protect U.S. sovereignty, end Chinese data mining, and stop Communist influence in American life.