TikTok ban: Trump signals a deal will come before April 5 deadline

TikTok

US President Donald Trump indicated that he is confident that a deal will be signed with TikTok’s parent company ByteDance as the deadline approaches this week.

“There’s tremendous interest in Tiktok. We have a lot of potential buyers," Trump said while speaking with reporters on Air Force One late Sunday. He added that he would “like to see TikTok remain alive.”

The President further said that the administration is “dealing with China” who “also want it because they may have something to do with it.”

Interestingly, the Republican last week said that he would consider a reduction in tariffs on China if it approves a sale of TikTok’s operations in the U.S.

TikTok’s future has been hanging in uncertainty since a law requiring ByteDance’s divestment took effect on January 19. Trump, after assuming office, gave TikTok a 75-day reprieve by signing an executive order that delayed enforcement of the statute until April 5.

Earlier during his first term, tried to ban TikTok on national security grounds, which was halted by the courts before his administration negotiated a sale of the platform that eventually failed to materialize. However, he changed his position on the popular app during last year’s presidential election and has credited the platform with helping him win more young voters.

“I won the young vote by 36 points. Republicans generally don't do very well with the young vote,” he said Sunday. “I think a lot of it could have been TikTok.”

Meanwhile, Trump has said that the deadline on a TikTok deal could be extended further if needed. He previously proposed terms in which the U.S. would have a 50% stake in a joint venture.