TikTok deal must benefit U.S. and ensure 'total security,' Trump says

FILE PHOTO: China and U.S. flags are seen near a TikTok logo in this illustration picture taken July 16, 2020. REUTERS/Florence Lo

President Donald Trump said on Thursday that any deal to sell Chinese-owned social media app TikTok to an American company must "substantially" benefit the United States and provide "total security."

Trump made the remarks after issuing an executive order banning transactions with TikTok's Chinese parent Bytedance by mid-September after appearing to bless a sale of the popular video sharing app to Microsoft.

U.S. President Donald Trump arrives to addresss a briefing on the coronavirus disease (COVID-19) pandemic in the Brady Press Briefing Room at the White House in Washington, U.S., August 13, 2020. REUTERS/Kevin Lamarque

(Reporting by Steve Holland and Alexandra Alper; Editing by Leslie Adler)