The divestment of TikTok could be the “deal of the century” for Trump, says the chairman of the House China Committee

EXCLUSIVE: John Moolenaar, chairman of the House China Committee, told Fox News Digital that President-elect Donald Trump is the “perfect leader” to negotiate and implement the “deal of the century” to keep TikTok available in the US

The Supreme Court is expected to hear oral arguments on January 10, 2025 on the law requiring TikTok to be separated from the control of foreign adversaries. TikTok is owned by ByteDance, a Beijing-based company linked to the Chinese Communist Party.

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This law, which came into force in the spring, requires ByteDance to sell TikTok by January 19th. If ByteDance doesn’t sell within the deadline, Google and Apple will no longer be able to offer TikTok in their app stores in the US

Supreme Court justices said they would hold a special session on Jan. 10 to hear oral arguments in the case – an expedited schedule that will allow them to hear the case just nine days before the ban is scheduled to take effect on Jan. 19 to check. The law allows the president to extend the deadline by up to 90 days if ByteDance is in the process of being divested.

John Moolenaar, a Republican from Michigan, is now chairman of the House Special Committee on China. (Al Drago/Bloomberg via Getty Images)

In an exclusive interview with Fox News Digital, Moolenaar, R-Mich., said he has met with top investors and that he has “full confidence” that Trump “will be able to get a great deal for America.”

“It will be the deal of the century,” Moolenaar said, noting that the divestment “could be done in phases.”

“First with a buyout and then a massive IPO – probably the largest IPO in history,” he said. “And I believe that President Trump is the perfect leader to negotiate and deliver that victory.”

He added: “President Trump has the opportunity to close the deal of the century due to the leverage of the TikTok legislation passed by Congress.”

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Moolenaar predicted that TikTok’s sale could be completed quickly after legal remedies are exhausted and the U.S. Supreme Court rules on the case. He said a “large” IPO could come “later as part of the solution.”

“I think TikTok and ByteDance have been delayed,” Moolenaar said. “Once they realize they have to follow U.S. law, I think it will move forward pretty quickly.”

TikTok and ByteDance filed an emergency petition with the Supreme Court earlier this month, asking the justices to temporarily block enforcement of the law while the company appealed a decision by the U.S. Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit.

Lawyers for TikTok have argued that the law, passed earlier this year, violates the First Amendment Supreme Court request that “Congress’s unprecedented attempt to single out candidates and ban them from operating one of the most prominent speech platforms in this country” and “raises serious constitutional issues that this Court is unlikely to allow.”

But Moolenaar warned that without divestment, the CCP could try to “manipulate perceptions in the United States,” saying it has “access to Americans’ data” through TikTok.

“It’s very profitable, very popular and it’s an important step for the CCP to influence American culture,” Moolenaar said.

But when it comes to the CCP’s access to U.S. citizens’ data, TikTok has launched Project Texas, an initiative dedicated to addressing U.S. national security concerns.

TikTok CEO Shou Zi Chew speaks to reporters about the platform’s consumer privacy and data security practices and their impact on children before a House Energy and Commerce Committee hearing on Thursday, March 23, 2023. (AP Photo/Manuel Balce Ceneta)

TikTok CEO Shou Zi Chew says Project Texas is creating a standalone version of the TikTok platform for the US, isolated on servers in Oracle’s US cloud environment. It was developed by CFIUS and cost the company about $1.5 billion to implement.

Chew has argued that TikTok is beholden to no country, although executives have admitted in the past that Chinese officials had access to Americans’ data even if U.S.-based TikTok officials did not have access to it.

TikTok claims the new initiative will securely protect US user data, telling Fox News Digital that the data will be managed “by Americans in America.”

But Moolenaar says even “Project Texas” “really isn’t enough.”

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“Considering that ByteDance is affiliated with the CCP and they are in charge of TikTok, the TikTok algorithm in the US is very different than in China,” he explained. “There needs to be a divestiture and we need to know that either an American company or a company affiliated with like-minded nations, friendly nations and not adversarial nations, is responsible for this app.”

He added: “Only this will comply with the law and protect our national security.”

Moolenaar said that the Chinese Communist Party has so far “had no reason to allow the sale of TikTok.”

President-elect Donald Trump speaks at a news conference at Trump’s Mar-a-Lago resort in Palm Beach, Florida, on December 16, 2024. (Andrew Harnik/Getty Images)

“But that has changed, and President Trump knows from experience that the only language the CCP speaks is hardball,” Moolenaar said. “He is an incredible negotiator, and our legislation gives him the leverage he needs to close this historic deal.”

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Still, Trump has signaled his support for TikTok. Earlier this month, he met with Chew at Mar-a-Lago and told reporters during a press conference before the meeting that his new administration would “take a look at TikTok” and the looming U.S. ban.

“I care about TikTok,” Trump told reporters.