U.S. President Donald Trump has indicated a willingness to reduce tariffs on China to help finalize a deal for the sale of TikTok by its Chinese parent company, ByteDance.
Speaking to reporters on Wednesday, Trump suggested he may offer concessions to ensure the popular short-video app, used by 170 million Americans, remains operational in the United States.
“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. Maybe I’ll give them a little reduction in tariffs or something to get it done,” Trump said.
Under a 2024 law, ByteDance faces an April 5 deadline to divest TikTok to a non-Chinese buyer or face a ban on national security grounds. The original deadline of January 19 was extended by Trump shortly after taking office.
Trump also noted he was open to granting an additional extension if a deal is not reached by the current deadline.
TikTok has yet to comment on the latest developments.
Negotiations over TikTok’s future have long been hindered by China’s reluctance to relinquish control of the platform, which is estimated to be worth tens of billions of dollars.
Trump has previously used tariff threats as leverage during the negotiation process.
On January 20, his first day in office, Trump warned of potential new tariffs if Beijing did not approve a U.S. acquisition of TikTok. Earlier this month, he increased tariffs on all Chinese imports to 20%, up from the 10% rate imposed in February.
Vice President JD Vance recently said he expects the general terms of a TikTok divestiture agreement to be finalized by April 5.
TikTok’s fate has remained uncertain since the passage of legislation requiring ByteDance to sell the app by early 2025. Although the app briefly went offline in January following a U.S. Supreme Court ruling, it resumed operations after Trump postponed enforcement of the ban.
The White House has played an unusually active role in the ongoing negotiations, with officials reportedly serving as intermediaries in deal discussions.
