Oct 6, 2025 - Politics & Policy

"You owe me big": Trump's message to youth for TikTok deal

Julianna Bragg

President Donald Trump insists he found a solution to keep TikTok alive in the United States through a group of investors who will buy the short-video app from its Chinese owners. Photo: Patrick T. Fallon/AFP via Getty Images.

President Trump said Monday young people "owe [him] big" because he "saved TikTok" after keeping the platform online all year, even though a law banned the app in January.

Why it matters: The president's message follows last year's bill passed by Congress, and signed into law by former President Biden, banning the app in the U.S. unless ByteDance, the app's Chinese parent company, sold it.

After Trump took office for his second term in January, he repeatedly delayed enforcement of the law so the company could find new owners.

The latest: Trump signed another executive order in September, again providing more time for ByteDance to sell its U.S. assets.

While Trump has touted a sale, Bytedance has not confirmed the deal, and the White House hasn't released details.

What they're saying: "You owe me big," Trump told TikTok viewers. "Now, you're looking at me in the Oval Office, and someday one of you are gonna be sitting right at this desk, and you're gonna be doing a great job also."

Flashback: In Trump's first term, he tried to ban TikTok by executive order.

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"You owe me big": Trump's message to youth for TikTok deal

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