White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt reveals Americans will hold six of seven board seats controlling TikTok’s U.S. operations under a proposed framework agreement with China. The deal, which requires final signatures, places the platform’s algorithm and data privacy aspects under U.S. control.

“This deal means that TikTok will be majority-owned by Americans in the United States,” Leavitt tells Fox News. “There will be seven seats on the board that controls the app in the United States, and six of those seats will be Americans.”

Leavitt adds that Oracle, the cloud computing company co-founded by Larry Ellison, will manage the platform’s data and privacy components. The White House has not disclosed the identities of the six American board members.

The framework agreement follows Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent’s announcement of a “basic framework consensus” during recent trade talks in Madrid, just ahead of a September 17 deadline established under a 2024 law requiring TikTok’s divestiture.

President Donald Trump confirms discussing the deal with Chinese President Xi Jinping by phone. “The TikTok deal is well on its way,” Trump tells reporters, adding that “China wanted to see it stay open too.”

Trump, who previously attempted to ban the app during his first term, now credits TikTok with helping him in his 2024 election victory. “Look, I wasn’t a fan of TikTok, and then I got to use it, and I became a fan, and it helped me win the election in a landslide,” he says.

Congressional Concerns Persist

Despite White House assurances, some lawmakers express reservations about the arrangement. Representative John Moolenaar, Republican chair of the House Select Committee on the Chinese Communist Party, questions whether the deal adequately addresses security concerns.

“Based on initial reports, I am concerned the reported licensing deal may involve ongoing reliance by the new TikTok on a ByteDance algorithm and application that could allow continued CCP control or influence,” Moolenaar said in a statement.

Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick had previously established clear conditions for TikTok’s continued operation in the U.S. “Unless it’s owned by Americans and the algorithm is controlled by Americans… if we’re going to have TikTok here, that’s got to go,” Lutnick told CNBC.

Leavitt now states the administration is “100% confident that a deal is done” and awaiting signatures. The Treasury Department has characterized specific algorithm control arrangements as “between two private parties.”

The social media platform maintains approximately 170 million U.S. users who have faced months of uncertainty over the app’s future. Trump has extended temporary reprieves through executive orders since taking office in January, despite the 2024 law signed by former President Biden that would have banned the app unless sold to a U.S. company.

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