Trump changes course and threatens to block TikTok in the US if China does not agree to sell the service

US President Donald Trump, who promised to "save" TikTok before the election, is now warning of a possible ban on the service. US Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick told CNBC that TikTok will stop operating in the country unless the platform's owner, the Chinese company ByteDance, sells it to American investors along with control of its recommendation algorithm.

According to Lutnick, the proposed deal envisages that “China could keep a small stake, or ByteDance could keep a stake, but control and technology would be in American hands.” However, ByteDance has repeatedly stressed that transferring the algorithm is a transfer of key intellectual property, so the company is ready to offer other options for resolving security issues without selling the service.

The situation is complicated by trade negotiations between the United States and China. Analysts believe that Beijing is using TikTok as a leverage tool in tariff negotiations with Washington. The countries are currently in a 90-day truce that ends in August — about a month before Trump's deadline to sell TikTok in mid-September.

The situation remains uncertain for TikTok users and content creators in the US.

"If China approves the deal, it will happen. If not, TikTok will go into the dark — decisions will be made in the near future," Lutnick concluded.

Trump has already admitted that he is "not confident" that China will agree to the deal, although he believes it is beneficial. Lutnick's statements may indicate the risk of the negotiations failing, potentially complicating trade relations between the countries.