Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick appeared on Fox News Monday to shed light on TikTok and the ongoing discussions between the U.S. and China.
TikTok faces a potential U.S. shutdown if China does not approve a sale, with the deadline extended for the third time to Sept. 17. During an appearance on “Special Report with Bret Baier,” Lutnick said that talks between the two nations continue, with China reportedly looking at a 90-day extension for negotiations.
“They’re talking right now, but the decision-maker, of course, is President Trump. I’m sure the people who are speaking with China were going to go discuss with President Trump how he wants to play it,” Lutnick said. “He’s got an excellent relationship with President Xi, and I think we’ll leave that to Donald Trump to decide how he wants to do it. Is that a likely outcome? Sure, it seems that way, but let’s leave it to President Trump to decide.”
Host Bret Baier asked if TikTok was included in the deal, and Lutnick said that while it remains a significant issue, it is not directly part of the current discussions.
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“TikTok, it’s one of those things. It’s an adjacency. It’s not part of that transaction. But, you know, when the president is talking to the people who are talking to the Chinese counterparties, you know it’s going to come up,” Lutnick added. “But I think they’re separate but adjacent.”
TikTok is reportedly developing a new version of its app for the United States, with a planned launch on Sept. 5 in U.S. app stores. This comes after Trump said that the U.S. had “pretty much” reached a deal for an American company to acquire TikTok’s U.S. assets. (RELATED: Trump Tells Supreme Court TikTok Ban Should Be Handled Politically Despite Past National Security Worries)
TikTok had to find an American buyer after Congress passed the Protecting Americans from Foreign Adversary Controlled Applications Act, which former President Joe Biden signed into law in April 2024. After the initial nine-month deadline passed, TikTok briefly stopped operating in the U.S. on Jan. 19 but resumed shortly after Trump extended the deadline with executive orders in April and June.
The House Select Committee on the Strategic Competition Between the United States and the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) introduced the bill forcing TikTok to separate from ByteDance. Bipartisan members of the committee said that the CCP should not control a major tech platform with access to the personal data of American citizens.
While Trump called for TikTok’s ban during his first term, he now has over 15 million followers on the platform and credits it with driving engagement in his reelection campaign.
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