Trump’s unanswered possibility reduces Chinese tariffs to make Tiktok sales occur
U.S. President Donald Trump said Wednesday he is willing to lower tariffs to reach a deal with Tiktok’s Chinese parents to sell short video apps used by 170 million Americans.
BYTEDANCE will be on the April 5 deadline to find non-Chinese buyers of Tiktok or face a U.S. ban on national security venues that would have come into effect under the 2024 law.
The law is a result of concerns about Washington, that Tiktok’s ownership makes it identities as Chinese government holders and that Beijing can use the app to influence the United States and collect data about Americans.
Trump said he is willing to extend the deadline if no agreement on social media apps is reached.
He admitted that China will play the role of any deal, including giving it recognition, telling reporters: “Maybe I’ll give them a reduction in tariffs or something done.”
Tiktok did not comment immediately.
Trump’s comments suggest that the sale of Tiktok is a priority for his administration and is important to use tariffs as a bargaining chip for negotiations with Beijing.
In February and earlier this month, Trump increased the levy, totaling the current relevant tax on all imports from China.
Getting Beijing to agree to any deal to waive control of multi-billion-dollar Tiktok units has been the biggest key point in completing any agreement. Trump has used tariffs as a bargaining chip in the Tiktok negotiations in the past.
Tariffs threatened earlier
On January 20, Trump’s first day in office, he warned that he could impose tariffs on China if he failed to approve a deal with Tiktok. Earlier this month, the president put additional tariffs on all imports from China, up from 10% of the issuance in February.
U.S. Vice President JD Vance said he hopes a general term of a deal that will reach ownership of social media platforms by April 5.
Reuters reported last week that White House-led negotiations among investors are centered around a plan around the largest non-Chinese supporters to increase their stakes to increase their stake and acquire U.S. operations for the video app, Reuters reported last week.
The future of apps used by nearly half of Americans has been in the air since the laws passed last year passed overwhelming bipartisan support, demanding that Tiktok be stripped by January 19.
The app briefly went black in January after the U.S. Supreme Court upheld the ban, but once Trump took office, the app flashed back to lifelong days.
He quickly issued an executive order to postpone the enforcement of the law until April 5, and said last month that he could extend the deadline so that he could give himself time to the agreement.
The White House has effectively played the role of investment banks in the transaction negotiations that are closely watched.
Advocates of free speech believe the ban illegally threatens to restrict Americans from violating the First Amendment to the U.S. Constitution and restrict Americans from entering foreign media.
