What's Behind Trump's TikTok Fervor
By Goldsea Staff | 21 Sep, 2025

The focus and energy pumped into transferring TikTok's US operations to US ownership and control suggests the degree of political importance Trump attaches to controlling its audience.

Trump has made every effort possible to ensure that TikTok doesn't go dark in the US, including extending the deadline for transfer of ownership to TikTok's US operations to an American ownership group from the original January 2025 deadline mandated by Congress to what appears likely to be at least January 2026.

Meanwhile Trump has been assembling an ownership group comprising a conservative group of tech tycoons including Oracle founder Larry Ellison, Fox News head Lachlan Murdoch, and Dell Computers founder Michael Dell.  With control of 6of 7 board seats of the ownership entitty (with the 7th going to TikTok's Chinese owner ByteDance), TikTok may well end up in Trump's political pockets in time for the 2026 midterm elections.

For a detailed picture of the factors behind Trump's fervor over the sale of TikTok's US operations, we engaged a pair of AI profs with the prompt: 

What motivates Trump to make such an effort to keep TikTok from being shut down in the US?

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Copilot:

Let’s unpack how the TikTok deal is shaping both U.S.-China tech relations and the 2025 election landscape.

🌐 U.S.-China Tech Relations: Strategic Tug-of-War

The TikTok negotiations are more than just about an app—they’re a proxy for deeper tensions over tech dominance, data sovereignty, and geopolitical influence:

• Algorithm Control Is the Crux: The U.S. wants full control over TikTok’s recommendation algorithm, citing national security risks. China, however, insists on licensing the algorithm rather than relinquishing it entirely.
• ByteDance’s Stake Shrinks: Under the proposed deal, U.S. investors (including Oracle and Andreessen Horowitz) would control 80% of TikTok, with ByteDance retaining less than 20%.
• Diplomatic Leverage: Trump and Xi’s recent call signaled a thaw in tech tensions. Xi agreed to “productive commercial negotiations,” while Trump praised the progress as “very good”.
• Intellectual Property Licensing: China’s willingness to license TikTok’s core technology suggests a compromise—but also a potential loophole for influence.

This deal could set a precedent for how tech platforms with global reach are governed, especially when national interests clash with commercial ones.

🗳️ 2025 Election Landscape: TikTok as a Political Tool

Trump’s evolving stance on TikTok reveals its growing role in electoral strategy:

• Youth Engagement: Trump credits TikTok with helping him win over younger voters in 2024. He’s said, “The kids want it so badly,” and even parents have urged him to keep it alive.
• Conservative Influence: Reports suggest Trump allies may buy into TikTok, potentially shaping its content ecosystem to favor conservative messaging.
• “President Who Saved TikTok”: Trump’s maneuvering positions him as a populist defender of digital freedom, especially among creators and small businesses who rely on the app.

In essence, TikTok is no longer just a tech issue—it’s a cultural and political battleground.

Would you like to explore how this deal might influence content moderation, creator ecosystems, or even the future of algorithmic governance? Or maybe dive into how this fits into your storytelling around digital diplomacy or generational politics?

Perfect—let’s dive deeper into how the TikTok deal could reshape three key areas: content moderation, creator ecosystems, and algorithmic governance. These threads are rich with narrative potential, especially for someone like you who thrives on emotional nuance and symbolic storytelling.

🛡️ Content Moderation: A New Battleground

If U.S. investors gain control of TikTok, moderation policies could shift dramatically:

• Political Speech: Expect more scrutiny over misinformation, election-related content, and political satire. This could spark debates over censorship vs. free expression.
• Cultural Sensitivity: U.S.-based moderation might prioritize Western norms, potentially clashing with TikTok’s global user base and Chinese-origin content standards.
• Creator Pushback: Influencers may resist sudden changes to what’s allowed, especially if moderation becomes more opaque or punitive.

This tension offers fertile ground for storytelling—imagine a Korean American creator caught between two moderation regimes, trying to preserve cultural authenticity while navigating algorithmic suppression.

🎥 Creator Ecosystems: Monetization Meets Manipulation

TikTok’s creator economy is vast, but a U.S.-led overhaul could reshape its dynamics:

• Monetization Models: American investors may push for more aggressive ad integration, brand partnerships, and data monetization—potentially sidelining smaller creators.
• Political Influence: If Trump allies gain stakes, we could see subtle algorithmic nudges favoring conservative voices or suppressing dissent.
• Platform Loyalty: Creators might migrate to Instagram Reels or YouTube Shorts if TikTok loses its edge in authenticity or reach.

This opens up narrative possibilities around digital migration, identity fragmentation, and the emotional toll of platform instability—especially for diasporic or marginalized voices.

⚙️ Algorithmic Governance: Who Controls the Feed?

The algorithm is TikTok’s soul—and its most contested asset:

• Licensing vs. Ownership: China’s offer to license the algorithm (rather than sell it) means ByteDance retains influence over how content is ranked and recommended.
• Transparency Demands: U.S. regulators may push for algorithmic audits, but true transparency remains elusive. What gets boosted—and why—could become a political weapon.
• Surveillance Concerns: Even with U.S. control, fears about data harvesting and behavioral profiling persist. The algorithm’s ability to shape public opinion is unmatched.

This is where your storytelling instincts shine. You could explore a character whose emotional arc is shaped by algorithmic exposure—love, rage, identity—all filtered through a feed they don’t control.

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Gemini:

• Donald Trump's current position on TikTok stands in contrast to his previous stance during his first term, when he sought to ban the app.1 His motivations for preventing a shutdown now appear to be multi-faceted:

  • Political strategy and voter base: The most significant shift in his position is tied to the app's political influence.2 He has publicly credited TikTok with helping him connect with younger voters and believes it contributed to his victory.3 The platform has a massive user base in the U.S., and a ban could alienate a large number of potential supporters, particularly young people.4

  • Economic interests and a negotiated deal: Rather than an outright ban, his administration is actively pursuing a deal with China's ByteDance to transfer ownership of TikTok's U.S. operations to American companies.5 He has stated that he wants to "save" the app and that he has American buyers, including some of his close allies, lined up for the acquisition.6 The goal of this deal is to ensure that the app's data and its powerful algorithm are under American control, while allowing the platform to continue operating in the country.7

  • A reversal of his previous stance: This new approach is a reversal of his 2020 attempt to ban the app over national security concerns.8 While those concerns about Chinese government access to user data and content manipulation remain, his current strategy focuses on a negotiated solution rather than a complete shutdown.9

  • Geopolitical considerations: The ongoing negotiations over TikTok are also part of a broader discussion on U.S.-China trade relations.10 A deal on the app could be a way to stabilize relations and show progress on "very important issues" between the two countries.