U.S. President Donald Trump said Wednesday he may reduce tariffs on China to secure a deal for ByteDance to sell TikTok, the popular short-form video app used by 170 million Americans. ByteDance faces an April 5 deadline to divest its U.S. TikTok operations or risk a nationwide ban under a 2024 law citing national security concerns.
Trump acknowledged China's potential role in approving any deal, stating, “Maybe I’ll give them a little reduction in tariffs or something to get it done.” He also suggested the deadline could be extended if progress is made. TikTok has yet to comment on the statement.
The biggest challenge remains getting Beijing to approve a divestiture of TikTok, estimated to be worth tens of billions of dollars. Trump has previously used tariffs as leverage in these negotiations and recently raised tariffs on Chinese imports to 20%, up from 10% in February.
Vice President JD Vance expects an agreement to be reached by the April 5 deadline. The Biden-era law originally set the divestment deadline for January 19, but Trump, on his first day back in office, delayed enforcement until April 5 through executive order. The app briefly went offline in January after the Supreme Court upheld the ban but returned once the enforcement pause took effect.
The White House has taken an unusually active role in the deal, acting almost like an investment bank to broker an outcome that avoids a TikTok shutdown while addressing national security concerns.
As the clock ticks, the future of one of America’s most-used apps hangs in the balance, with political pressure mounting and international tensions in play.