In a surprising twist in the TikTok saga, U.S. President Donald Trump has hinted at extending the June 19 deadline for ByteDance, based in the Chinese mainland, to divest the U.S. assets of the wildly popular short video app.
During an NBC News interview on "Meet the Press with Kristen Welker," taped at his Mar-a-Lago estate in Palm Beach, Florida, Trump shared that TikTok has a special place in his strategy—crediting the app with helping him win over young voters in the 2024 campaign. He remarked, "I would … I'd like to see it done," underscoring that TikTok will be protected.
This is the third extension for TikTok’s U.S. operations. Originally, the law required the app to halt operations by January 19 unless ByteDance completed a divestiture. A deal had been under discussion to spin off TikTok into a new U.S.-based firm run by American investors, but progress stalled when the Chinese mainland signaled potential disapproval following steep tariff measures on Chinese goods.
Some Democratic senators have raised questions about Trump’s legal authority to extend the deadline, noting that the proposed deal might not meet all legal requirements. Nonetheless, a source close to ByteDance's U.S. investors mentioned that discussions are still ongoing, even as broader tariff disputes add pressure to the negotiations.
Adding another twist, Trump highlighted that the 145% tariff on Chinese goods is significantly impacting the economy. While he insists on keeping the tariffs to encourage serious negotiations, he hinted that lowering them could be part of a broader bargain down the road. This evolving situation continues to stir debate and shows how intertwined U.S. policies, global trade, and digital trends have become. 📱🔥
Reference(s):
Trump says he'll extend TikTok deadline if no deal reached by June 19
cgtn.com
