Trump will prohibit transactions with Bytedance beginning September 20 in apparent TikTok ban

President Trump has signed a new executive order which will block all transactions with Bytedance, TikTok's parent corporation, in an effort to "address the national emergency with respect to the information and communication technology supply chain."

The move comes after months of escalating tensions, which saw Secretary of State Mike Pompeo and others at the White House warn that TikTok presented a national security threat because of its Chinese ownership. Microsoft is currently in talks to acquire portions of the app, aimed to be complete by September 15th.

BREAKING: President Trump just issued an executive order "on Addressing the Threat Posed by TikTok." It takes effect in 45 days, prohibits "any transaction" with ByteDance, the Chinese company that owns TikTok, and will almost certainly face legal challenges. pic.twitter.com/Ma9XOfYgOB

- Hunter Walker (@hunterw) August 7, 2020

Trump's new order is set to take effect in 45 days, just after the September 15th deadline set for negotiations in the Microsoft sale.

Another order banned transactions with WeChat, a popular texting app in China that has maintained a limited US user base focused on recent Chinese immigrants.