Donald Trump is considering a major tariff deal with China in a final push to save TikTok before the fast-approaching April deadline.
The US President said he would be willing to reduce tariffs on China if it helps push through a sale of TikTok by its Chinese parent company, ByteDance.
“With respect to TikTok, and China is going to have to play a role in that, possibly in the form of an approval, maybe, and I think they’ll do that,” Trump told reporters. “Maybe I’ll give them a little reduction in tariffs or something to get it done."
The future of the video-sharing app that's used by around 170 million Americans is still uncertain. But Trump’s offer suggests the sale of TikTok’s is a priority for his administration he’s using tariffs as leverage. Earlier this year, Trump raised tariffs on Chinese imports by an additional 20%.
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ByteDance has until 5 April to sell the app to a non-Chinese buyer or face a US ban. After officials within the Defense Department deemed the app a national security risk, TikTok was supposed to face a ban in January, but Trump extended it soon after taking office. And he’s hinted he might push the deadline again if needed.
On 19 January, the app briefly went dark after the US Supreme Court upheld the ban. Whilst it returned a few days later, TikTok is still missing from app stores.
Getting China’s approval for a sale is not looking easy. ByteDance is valued in the tens of billions, and Beijing has been reluctant to let go of a company of that scale. Vice President JD Vance has said he expects a general agreement on the app's future ownership to be reached by 5 April. Meanwhile, the case has been gaining loads of attention on social media, with some even urging influencers like YouTuber MrBeast to step in and buy the app.
According to Reuters, current talks, led by the White House, are focusing on having ByteDance’s biggest non-Chinese investors buy out TikTok’s US operations.
Strangely enough, the White House has taken a hands-on role in the process, working closely with investors to seal a deal. In fact, Trump told journalists that his administration is currently working with 'four different groups' interested in purchasing TikTok.
"A lot of people want it and it's up to me," Trump stated, as per USA Today.
However, free speech advocates continue to argue that banning TikTok could violate the First Amendment by restricting access to foreign media platforms.