FILE – In this July 21, 2020 file photo, a man opens social media app ‘TikTok’ on his cell phone, in Islamabad, Pakistan. President Donald Trump said Saturday, Sept. 19, 2020 he’s given his “blessing” to a proposed deal between Oracle and Walmart for the U.S. operations of TikTok, the Chinese-owned app he’s targeted for national security and data privacy concerns. (AP Photo/Anjum Naveed, File)
WASHINGTON — President Donald Trump said Saturday he’s given his “blessing” to a proposed deal between Oracle and Walmart for the U.S. operations of TikTok, the Chinese-owned app he’s targeted for national security and data privacy concerns.
Trump said the proposed deal will result in a new company likely to be based in Texas and under the control of U.S.-based Oracle and Walmart.
“I have given the deal my blessing,” he said. “If they get it done, that’s great. If they don’t, that’s OK too.”
Trump has been targeting TikTok, a video app popular with younger people, as well as WeChat, another Chinese-owned app.
The dispute over the two apps is the latest flashpoint in the rising tensions between the world’s two largest economies.