Trump to host Turkey’s Erdogan at the White House as the U.S. considers lifting ban on F-35 sales
Trump will hold talks with Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan at the White House this morning as the Republican leader has indicated that the U.S. government’s hold on sales of advanced fighter jets to Ankara may soon be lifted.
During Trump’s first term, the United States kicked out Turkey, a NATO ally, from its flagship F-35 fighter jet program after it purchased an air defense system from Russia. U.S. officials worried that Turkey’s use of Russia’s S-400 surface-to-air missile system could be used to gather data on the capabilities of the F-35 and that the information could end up in Russian hands.
But Trump last week gave Turkey hope that a resolution to the matter is near as he announced plans for Erdogan’s visit.
Trump expected to sign a TikTok deal today
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Trump is expected to sign a deal today to facilitate the sale of TikTok from a Chinese-based company to a group of American investors, two senior White House officials told NBC News.
Members of the Trump administration have signaled for days that a deal was being finalized between Chinese and U.S. officials.
A senior White House official confirmed to NBC News on Wednesday that once the deal was implemented, TikTok’s U.S. operations would be run by a new joint-venture company. ByteDance, TikTok’s current China-based owner, will hold less than 20% of the stock of the new company, the official said.
