Trump isn’t afraid to talk with anyone. He’s always looking to challenge people.
And President Trump is set to meet with this world leader in a high-stakes showdown.
In a major victory for American interests, the United States has hammered out a key framework deal with China to hand over control of the short-video app TikTok to U.S. ownership. Top officials broke the news on Monday, setting the stage for President Donald Trump to seal the details in a direct call with Chinese President Xi Jinping this Friday.
This breakthrough comes straight from the front lines of high-stakes negotiations in Madrid, where U.S. Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent and U.S. Trade Representative Jamieson Greer led the charge. They kept the commercial specifics under wraps for now, focusing instead on the hard-fought progress against Beijing’s grip on the popular app.
Bessent made it clear to the press that the finer points would get ironed out during Trump’s upcoming chat with Xi. It’s a classic Trump move—stepping in personally to close the deal and protect American users from foreign influence.
President Trump himself couldn’t hide his enthusiasm, declaring on Monday that the trade discussions with China had been a smashing success. He teased that a resolution was in the bag for the TikTok saga, which has been a thorn in America’s side for too long.
“The big Trade Meeting in Europe between The United States of America, and China, has gone VERY WELL! It will be concluding shortly,” Trump posted on his TruthSocial platform, firing up his supporters with the good news.
He didn’t stop there, adding fuel to the excitement: “A deal was also reached on a “certain” company that young people in our Country very much wanted to save. They will be very happy! I will be speaking to President Xi on Friday. The relationship remains a very strong one!!!”
Behind the scenes, things got intense. A U.S. insider revealed earlier that day that America was ready to slam the door on TikTok with a full ban if China didn’t back off its push for tariff cuts and eased tech rules in the divestiture package.
The Madrid showdown centered on forcing Chinese owner ByteDance to sell off TikTok, tying into larger battles over tariffs and economic dominance. With a potential shutdown looming as soon as September 17, the pressure was on to keep this app out of communist hands and under stars and stripes.
Bessent and Greer didn’t mince words when they addressed reporters, pointing out how China came to the table demanding big giveaways on trade and tech just to let go of the app that’s hooked millions of American kids.
“Our Chinese counterparts have come with a very aggressive ask,” Bessent said, standing firm against Beijing’s tactics.
He doubled down on America’s priorities: “We are not willing to sacrifice national security for a social media app.” That’s the kind of backbone that’s been missing in Washington for years.
These talks unfolded in the grand halls of Spain’s Palacio de Santa Cruz, marking the fourth intense session in as many months aimed at fixing the lopsided trade mess and hitting that TikTok deadline head-on.
Meanwhile, Washington isn’t letting up on the global front, pushing our allies to slap tariffs on Chinese imports because of Beijing’s cozy deals buying Russian oil. China fired back on Monday, calling it straight-up bullying—typical deflection from a regime that plays dirty.
In another jab, Beijing dropped news of a preliminary probe into Nvidia, claiming the American chip powerhouse broke their anti-monopoly law.
Bessent called out the suspicious timing, and he’s spot on—it’s clearly payback for U.S. moves to choke off China’s chip ambitions.
This Nvidia hit is just the latest in a string of retaliatory strikes, as America wisely clamps down on handing over advanced tech that could fuel China’s military machine.
Stay tuned to the DC Daily Journal.
