How TikTok became a ‘poker chip’ in a high-stakes game between Trump and China

In his first few days back in office, President Trump is talking about TikTok entirely as a deal making exercise, dropping all of his previously expressed concerns about Chinese influence and American national security.

In his first few days back in office, President Trump is talking about TikTok entirely as a deal making exercise, dropping all of his previously expressed concerns about Chinese influence and American national security. Trump has rhetorically repositioned the US law banning TikTok as a big business opportunity. “I have the right to make a deal,” he told reporters Tuesday. With American involvement, he asserted, TikTok could be worth “a trillion dollars.” Importantly, he also said he would be open to his tech mogul allies Elon Musk or Larry Ellison taking over the video platform. Of course, that would require ByteDance, the Beijing-based owner of TikTok, to agree and the Chinese government to approve a sale. Some analysts believe ByteDance will do so, arguing that TikTok’s fate is tied up in Trump’s other dealings with China, like his threats to impose new tariffs. “TikTok is one poker chip in the broader game of high-stakes poker between China and the US,” Wedbush Securities managing director Dan Ives told CNN. Ives said Trump’s comments about Musk and Ellison were “his first blessing” of a deal, with many more twists and turns ahead as other bidders come forward.