U.S. President Donald Trump announced his willingness to extend the June 19, 2025, deadline for China-based ByteDance to divest TikTok‘s U.S. assets, emphasizing his desire to keep the app operational for its 170 million American users. In an interview on NBC’s Meet the Press with Kristen Welker, taped Friday, May 2, at Mar-a-Lago and aired Sunday, May 4, Trump stated, “I would … I’d like to see it done,” expressing a personal affinity for TikTok, which he credited for helping him secure young voters in the 2024 presidential election. The potential extension marks the third reprieve from a congressionally mandated ban set to take effect in January 2025, highlighting ongoing geopolitical tensions and trade disputes with China.
The Protecting Americans from Foreign Adversary Controlled Applications Act, passed with bipartisan support in April 2024, required ByteDance to sell TikTok’s U.S. operations by January 19, 2025, or face a nationwide ban due to national security concerns over Chinese government influence. Trump, upon taking office on January 20, issued executive orders delaying enforcement, first to April 5 and then to June 19, allowing negotiations for a U.S.-led deal. A proposed agreement, nearly finalized in April, would have spun off TikTok’s U.S. operations into a new entity majority-owned by American investors, with ByteDance retaining a stake below 20%. However, China halted the deal after Trump imposed 145% tariffs on Chinese goods, demanding trade concessions.
Trump acknowledged China’s leverage, noting on Meet the Press that Beijing is “keen to reach an agreement” due to the tariffs’ economic impact. He ruled out dropping the tariffs to secure a deal but suggested he might lower them later as part of broader trade talks, stating, “At some point, I’m going to lower them because otherwise, you could never do business with them.” The White House, led by Vice President JD Vance, has been negotiating with potential buyers, including Oracle, which could oversee a new U.S.-based TikTok entity, possibly leasing the app’s algorithm to address security concerns. Despite interest from investors like Blackstone, Amazon, and billionaire Frank McCourt, China’s approval remains a hurdle.
The extensions have drawn criticism from lawmakers like Senator Mark Warner, who argues Trump’s actions violate the 2024 law and that the proposed deal fails to ensure a “clean operational break” from ByteDance. Posts on X reflect mixed sentiments, with users like @dogeai_gov viewing the extensions as strategic, while @lukedepulford earlier praised the divestiture mandate. The Supreme Court upheld the ban in early 2025, rejecting TikTok’s free speech claims, yet Trump’s non-enforcement has kept the app online, with Apple and Google restoring it after assurances from the Justice Department. As the June 19 deadline looms, the outcome hinges on resolving the U.S.-China tariff dispute, with Trump’s “sweet spot” for TikTok underscoring its cultural and political significance.
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