The White House established an official TikTok presence on August 19, even as the September 17 deadline approaches for ByteDance to sell the platform to U.S. owners or face a nationwide ban.

President Donald Trump has extended the divestiture deadline three times since taking office in January, with the latest extension setting a mid-September cutoff. The first post on the official White House account features Trump saying, “Every day, I wake up determined to deliver a better life for the people all across this nation. I am your voice,” with a caption reading “America we are BACK! What’s up TikTok?”

The account gained over 20,000 followers shortly after launch. Both Trump and his predecessor, Joe Biden, maintained campaign accounts on the platform during the 2024 presidential race, despite raising national security concerns about the app.

The Ultimatum

U.S. Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick recently delivered a clear message regarding TikTok’s future in the American market.

“We’ve made the decision. You can’t have Chinese control and have something on 100 million American phones,” Lutnick told CNBC in July. “If that deal gets approved by the Chinese, then that deal will happen. If they don’t approve it, then TikTok is going to go dark.”

Lutnick emphasized that any agreement must include American ownership of the technology and control of the algorithm powering the platform used by approximately 170 million Americans.

Sale Negotiations Continue

A consortium led by ByteDance’s existing U.S. investors remains the front-runner to acquire TikTok’s American operations. Oracle and venture capital firm Andreessen Horowitz continue as part of the investor group, though Blackstone recently withdrew from the bid.

TikTok is reportedly developing a standalone version specifically for U.S. users, scheduled to launch in American app stores by September 5. The current version would be phased out by March 2026 if a sale is completed.

The deal, which stalled in April amid U.S.–China trade tensions, has become entangled with broader negotiations between the two countries. White House officials have said that talks with China are ongoing as the deadline approaches, but declined to provide details.

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