Trump Open to Another Extension for TikTok If No Deal Reached by Deadline

“We were mostly trading for Tiktok, but not for deals, it’s pretty close. And China changed the transaction due to tariffs,” Trump told reporters in early April.

President Donald Trump said that if the deal is not reached by the June 19 deadline, he would offer Tiktok another extension to sell from the Beijing-based parent company before facing a US ban.

In an interview that aired on May 4th, Trump told Kristen Welker that there is a “small sweet spot” in his mind than a short video application due to its popularity among young Americans. He cited his interests in the young demographic in last year’s election as presidential candidate last year, and his campaign “focused on Tiktok.”

“I want to see (the deal),” Trump said. “Tiktok is very interesting, but protected. It’s very strongly protected. But if you want an extension, I want to give it an extension.

Last year, Congress passed a bill by January 19th ordering Tiktok’s US-based businesses to sell from Chinese parent company Baitedan or face a ban in the United States.

Lawmakers have expressed national security concerns about the app’s relationship with the Chinese administration, particularly regarding the possibility of user data disclosure and algorithm manipulation.

At the March 2024 hearing, FBI Director Christopher Ray warned that, coupled with the American user data collected by Tiktok and bytedance’s algorithm, “can affect operations that are extremely difficult to detect.

During a Congressional hearing on April 9, “shark tank” investor Kevin O’Leary accused China of using the app to distribute propaganda to shape public perceptions of Trump’s tariffs.

“Tiktok is a weapon-grade spyware, the era,” O’Leary told lawmakers, “It’s one of the best propaganda machines I’ve ever seen.”

After the app temporarily darkened in the US on January 18th, Trump said he signed an executive order at an inauguration ceremony that extended the Tiktok sale or facial deadline, and returned to the US app store.

However, the deal failed to peak within the initial extension period, leading Trump to extend the deadline on April 4th.

“My administration has worked very hard to save Tiktok, and we have made great strides,” Trump wrote in his post on Truth Social, the social platform. “This transaction requires more work to ensure that all necessary approvals are signed, which is why we are signing an executive order to keep Tiktok up and running for another 75 days.”

As a result, the deadline for Tiktok is June 19th.

A few days after that announcement, Trump said China is approaching approval of the Tiktok contract, but has decided to retreat after charging cleaning fees for all Chinese imports.

“We mostly traded for Tiktok, but not for deals, it’s pretty close. And China changed the transaction due to tariffs,” Trump told reporters on board Air Force 1. “If I cut the tariffs a little, they will approve the transaction in 15 minutes and show the power of the tariff.”

On April 17, Trump said Chinese officials had contacted his administration during the ongoing trade war between the US and the Chinese administration, suggesting that a deal on the sale of Tiktok might come later as the administration must sign a potential agreement.

In an interview on Sunday, filmed at his Mar-A-Lago Estate in Palm Beach, Florida, Trump said a deal is being negotiated with potential buyers of Tiktok’s American operations.

“We have a group of buyers, and we have a very large number of people. They’re going to pay a lot,” Trump said. “That’s good for us. That’s good for China.”

Previously, several bidders had stepped up to the plate with talks to buy Tiktok, which includes a consortium led by Amazon and OnlyFans founder Tim Stokely.

Trump suggested that potential Tiktok deals will be included in negotiations with China to end the ongoing tariff war.

“I’m sure if we sign a contract with China, that’s going to be the subject. It’s going to be a very simple subject,” he said.

With approximately 170 million Americans using Tiktok, users can record videos for up to 10 minutes to the app and upload videos up to 60 minutes long.

According to Pew Research, public support to ban Tiktok has declined by summer 2024. At the time, 32% of adults said they supported the federal government to ban apps from 50% in March 2023.

Aldogra contributed to this report.