US President Donald Trump indicated he would extend the June 19 deadline for ByteDance, the China-based owner of TikTok, to divest the app’s American assets if no deal is reached, according to an interview with NBC News’ “Meet the Press with Kristen Welker.” The interview, recorded on Friday (May 2) at Trump’s Mar-a-Lago estate in Palm Beach, Florida, aired Sunday (May 4). “I would ... I’d like to see it done,” Trump said, expressing fondness for TikTok, which he credited for helping him win young voters in the 2024 election. “TikTok is - it’s very interesting, but it will be protected,” he added.
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TikTok has so far got two extensions
Trump has twice delayed enforcement of a congressionally mandated TikTok ban, initially set for January 19, first extending it to April and then to June 19. The law requires ByteDance to divest TikTok’s U.S. operations, used by 170 million Americans, or face a ban.
A potential deal to spin off TikTok’s U.S. operations into a new, U.S.-based firm majority-owned by American investors has stalled. China signaled it would not approve the deal following Trump’s imposition of 145% tariffs on Chinese goods, Reuters reported, citing a source close to ByteDance’s U.S. investors. The source noted that work on the deal continues, but resolution of the U.S.-China tariff dispute is a prerequisite.
Trump told NBC News that China is eager to negotiate due to the tariffs’ economic impact. “At some point, I’m going to lower them because otherwise, you could never do business with them. And they want to do business very much,” he said, though he ruled out dropping tariffs solely to secure Beijing’s cooperation.
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