“Bannon Must Be Soooooo Disappointed with Trump’s TikTok Decision”

【This article was translated by AI, originally authored by Chinese opinion leader “Chairman Rabbit”】
On Sunday, US time, Trump posted a message focused on saving TikTok. The content is as follows:
“I urge companies not to let TikTok remain unusable! I will issue an executive order on Monday to extend the period before the legal ban takes effect so we can reach an agreement that protects national security. The order will also confirm that any companies assisting TikTok in staying operational before my order is issued will not be held liable.
The American public deserves to witness our thrilling inauguration on Monday, along with other events and related discussions.
I want the United States to hold 50% equity in a joint venture. By doing this, we can save TikTok, keep it under reliable control, and allow it to continue operations. Without US approval, there is no TikTok. With our approval, it’s worth billions—maybe even trillions.
So, my initial idea is for the current owners and/or new owners to form a joint venture, with the US holding 50% equity in the joint venture formed between the US and our selected acquirer.”
Quick Review:
1) This is the first time Trump has truly revealed his plan to save TikTok.
2) He utilized all the strategies previously analyzed by experts, including issuing an executive order to delay the ban, promising not to enforce it during this period (i.e., not pursuing companies in violation), and actively promoting negotiations.
3) Trump’s proposal is essentially a “sell or ban” approach—as we analyzed, he simply believes he can negotiate a deal. The difference is he’s taken a step forward by proposing a specific figure—50% “American” equity—but this doesn’t change the coercive nature of the sale.
4) He did not explicitly define “TikTok”—is it global operations? US operations? What about the algorithm?
5) He did not mention anything related to governance structure.
6) How is “America” defined? The US government? “Americans” (legal entities/natural persons)?
7) Clearly, potential buyers have reached out to him, and he’s considering options and meeting with potential buyers.
8) In Trump’s world of oligarchy and crony capitalism, any buyer he can imagine should have some interest connection to him, whether political or business.
9) Does his proposal meet legal requirements (like the “Protecting Americans from Foreign Adversaries in Applications Act”)? For example, the “qualified divestiture” aspect. By law, the app cannot continue to be controlled or influenced by a “foreign adversary”, with a very low threshold of 20% holdings. If ByteDance retains 50% ownership, it could become a problem. He may need to turn to Congress to repeal this law (and make new laws), which is quite challenging.
10) His proposals are from an American perspective, not a Chinese one.
11) For him, he surely wants to retain TikTok as a counterbalance to Zuckerberg, at least for a time. This depends on Meta’s performance. Additionally, he might even want to counterbalance Musk, since Musk can’t be fully trusted or relied upon. A key point: from a balancing perspective, it can’t be sold to Musk because once Musk gains this platform, it’s no longer controllable. (This is Trump’s perspective)
12) Negotiate if possible, or drop it if not. He’s already gained enough political capital from these statements and actions.
13) He said it’s his “initial idea”, so he’s always left room to backtrack and find excuses to withdraw.
14) But these are enough to ignite the enthusiasm of TikTok users—especially content creators and their ecosystems. (But at this stage, it won’t stop them from seeking platform diversification, not relying solely on one platform.)
13) But more importantly, the largely Gen Z TikTok user base likely represents the future of America. However, they still tend towards liberal, progressive viewpoints, leaning politically towards the Democrats. Yes, Trump can gain some support from them through these efforts, but most are less politicized and not easily swayed. In doing so, he may deeply disappoint his MAGA base and supporters.
His first-term chief strategist and the spiritual mentor of MAGA, Steve Bannon, must be very disappointed or even angry with all this. After all, Trump, born with a silver spoon as a millionaire, is not a representative of the MAGA middle and lower-class whites.
Yet, in today’s context, the very Trump who initiated the TikTok ban in his first term has become the least anti-China American politician visible to the Chinese.
Editor: Zhongxiaowen