President Donald Trump said he would consider extending the June 19 deadline for China-based ByteDance to sell TikTok’s U.S. assets if no deal is reached by then, signaling flexibility over the future of the video-sharing app used by 170 million Americans.
“I would ... I’d like to see it done,” Trump said in an interview taped Friday at his Mar-a-Lago estate in Palm Beach, Florida, for NBC’s Meet the Press with Kristen Welker, which aired nationwide Sunday.
Trump, who credited TikTok with helping him connect with young voters in the 2024 election, said he has a “sweet spot” for the platform, adding, “TikTok is – it's very interesting, but it will be protected.”
Trump has already twice granted a reprieve from enforcement of a congressionally mandated ban on TikTok that was initially set to take effect in January.
A deal had been in the works to spin off TikTok’s U.S. operations into a new company based in the U.S. and majority-owned and operated by U.S. investors. But it was put on hold after China signaled it would not approve the arrangement, following Trump’s announcement of steep tariffs on Chinese goods.
Democratic senators argue that Trump lacks the legal authority to extend the deadline and say the proposed deal would not meet legal requirements.
A source close to ByteDance’s U.S. investors said last month that work on the deal continues ahead of the June 19 deadline, but that the White House and Beijing must first resolve the tariff dispute.
Trump told NBC News that China was eager to reach an agreement, citing the impact of the 145% tariffs on its economy.
He said he would not drop the tariffs just to get Beijing to the bargaining table but could consider lowering them later as part of a broader deal.
“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.
The law required TikTok to cease operations in the U.S. by Jan. 19 unless ByteDance completed the divestiture.
Trump began his second term on Jan. 20 and opted not to enforce the law. He first extended the deadline to early April, and again last month to June 19.
