Politics

Trump to take action on Chinese software firms in the coming days: Pompeo

Key Points
  • President Donald Trump will announce new action "in the coming days" related to Chinese software companies that his administration views as a threat to U.S. national security, Secretary of State Mike Pompeo said Sunday.
  • Pompeo said on Fox News' "Sunday Morning Futures" that Trump would make an announcement on the matter "shortly."
  • Pompeo's comments come after Trump said on Friday that he would ban TikTok, the Chinese-owned short form video app, via executive action. 
The logo of the TikTok application on a screen in this picture illustration taken February 21, 2019.
Danish Siddiqui | Reuters

President Donald Trump will announce new action "in the coming days" related to Chinese software companies that his administration views as a threat to U.S. national security, Secretary of State Mike Pompeo said Sunday.

Pompeo said on Fox News' "Sunday Morning Futures" that Trump would make an announcement on the matter "shortly."

Pompeo's comments come after Trump said on Friday that he would ban TikTok, the Chinese-owned short form video app, via executive action. 

The State Department chief cited TikTok and WeChat, a Chinese messaging app, saying they were "feeding data directly to the Chinese Communist Party."

"For a long time, a long time the United States just said, 'Well goodness, if we're having fun with it, or if a company can make money off of it, we are going to permit that to happen.' President Trump has said, 'Enough,'" Pompeo said.

Trump: Looking at banning TikTok or a lot of other options
VIDEO1:4401:44
Trump: Looking at banning TikTok or a lot of other options

He added: "And we are going to fix it. And so he will take action in the coming days with respect to a broad array of national security risks that are presented by software that is connected to the Chinese Communist Party."

Treasury Secretary Steve Mnuchin said in a separate interview on Sunday that "we are not keeping TikTok in its current form."

TikTok and WeChat developer Tencent have said that they keep user data private. 

Amid speculation that the U.S. would force TikTok to divest its U.S. assets, Microsoft emerged as a potential buyer.

But talks between Microsoft and TikTok owner Bytedance are reportedly on pause following signals from Trump that the administration would oppose such a deal, The Wall Street Journal reported on Sunday, citing people familiar with the matter.

A number of companies including Microsoft are looking to acquire TikTok: The NY Times' Mike Isaac
VIDEO5:3405:34
A number of companies including Microsoft are looking to acquire TikTok: The NY Times' Mike Isaac