Donald Trump has expressed a willingness to lower tariffs on China in order to finalize a deal with ByteDance, TikTok’s Chinese parent company, for the sale of the social media app, which is utilized by 170 million Americans.
He recognized China’s potential influence in any agreement, stating, “Regarding TikTok, China will need to have a role, possibly in the form of an approval, and I believe they will cooperate.” Trump further commented, “Perhaps I’ll consider a small reduction in tariffs or something similar to facilitate the deal.”
His remarks indicate that the sale of TikTok is a priority for his administration, significant enough to leverage tariffs as a negotiating tool with Beijing.
TikTok has not provided immediate feedback.
ByteDance must find a non-Chinese buyer for TikTok by April 5, or it faces a U.S. ban due to national security concerns, a restriction that was expected to be enforced in January under a law enacted in 2024.
This initiative stems from concerns in Washington that TikTok’s ownership by ByteDance ties it to the Chinese government, raising the possibility that Beijing could exploit the app for influence operations against the U.S. and to gather data on Americans.
In February and earlier this month, Trump imposed an additional 20% levy on all imports from China.
Securing Chinese agreement to relinquish control of such a valuable business has consistently posed a significant challenge in concluding any deal. Trump has previously utilized tariffs as leverage in the TikTok negotiations.
On January 20, his first day in office, he warned of potential tariffs on China if the country failed to approve a U.S. agreement with TikTok.
Vice President JD Vance anticipates that by April 5, the general terms for resolving TikTok’s ownership will be established.
According to Reuters, discussions led by the White House among investors are coalescing around a strategy for the largest non-Chinese investors in ByteDance to enhance their stakes and acquire TikTok’s U.S. operations, as informed by two sources familiar with the talks.
The app, which serves nearly half of all Americans, has faced uncertainty since a law mandating ByteDance to divest TikTok by January 19 was passed with significant bipartisan support.
The app briefly became inaccessible in January after the U.S. Supreme Court upheld the ban but resumed operation days later when Trump assumed office. He swiftly issued an executive order delaying the enforcement of the law until April 5, suggesting he might extend that deadline to allow for an agreement to be reached.
The White House has unprecedentedly engaged in these prominent negotiations, effectively acting as an investment bank.
Free speech advocates assert that the proposed ban unconstitutionally threatens to restrict Americans’ access to foreign media, violating the First Amendment of the U.S. Constitution.
