US President Donald Trump stated that China should play a role in the sale of TikTok, owned by ByteDance, saying, "Maybe I'll give them a little bit of a tariff reduction or something to get the job done."
US President Donald Trump made statements regarding TikTok, owned by Chinese company ByteDance. Trump told reporters that China should play a role in the sale of TikTok. Trump said, "Maybe I'll give them a little bit of a tariff reduction or something to get the job done. TikTok is big, but every single number in tariffs is worth more than TikTok." Trump noted that he expects at least the outlines of an agreement to be reached by April 5.
Saying that it is possible that the deadline set for the sale of TikTok may be extended again, Trump said, “We will make some kind of deal, but if it is not completed, it’s not a big deal. We will just extend the deadline.”
TikTok accused of “espionage”
Last year, the US House of Representatives approved a bill that included banning TikTok in the country if its assets in the US were not sold to another company. House Foreign Affairs Committee Chairman Michael McCaul said after the vote, “This bill protects Americans, and especially American children, from the bad influence of Chinese propaganda on the TikTok app. This app is a spy bubble on Americans’ phones.”
Trump signed an executive order delaying the TikTok ban for 75 days
Immediately after the US Supreme Court approved the law banning TikTok in January, access to the platform was blocked. On January 20, the day Trump took office, the platform was reopened after a 1-day blockade. Trump signed an executive order on January 21 postponing the TikTok ban for 75 days, with the deadline for the agreement set as April 5. Trump stated that he wanted the US to have a 50 percent stake in TikTok through a partnership.
