U.S. President Donald Trump has confirmed that he will extend the June 19 deadline for China-based ByteDance to divest the U.S. operations of TikTok if no agreement has been reached by that time. In a recent interview with NBC News’ Kristen Welker, Trump expressed his desire to see the deal completed but also highlighted his personal affinity for the app, noting its role in helping him secure the young vote in the 2024 election.
Despite a mandated ban initially set for January 2024, Trump has granted two reprieves on TikTok’s U.S. operations, with the deadline now pushed back to June 19. Talks had been underway for a potential deal that would see TikTok’s U.S. operations spun off into a new company, primarily owned and operated by U.S. investors. However, these negotiations have been stalled due to China’s reluctance to approve the plan following Trump’s announcement of significant tariffs on Chinese goods.
Trump emphasized that China is eager to reach an agreement, noting that the steep tariffs—up to 145%—have impacted the country’s economy. While Trump is firm on not dropping these tariffs to hasten the negotiations, he suggested that they could eventually be reduced as part of a larger agreement between the two nations.
Democratic senators, however, argue that Trump may not have the legal authority to unilaterally extend the deadline, and they have raised concerns that the prospective deal might fail to meet legal requirements. Despite these challenges, discussions are expected to continue ahead of the June deadline.
Source: Swifteradio.com
