West Palm Beach, Florida, May 6 – U.S. President Donald Trump said he is prepared to extend a June 19 deadline for ByteDance to divest the U.S. assets of TikTok, amid stalled deal negotiations and rising tensions with China over trade tariffs.
“I would… I’d like to see it done,” Trump told NBC News’ “Meet the Press with Kristen Welker” in an interview recorded Friday at his Mar-a-Lago estate in Palm Beach, Florida. The segment aired nationwide on Sunday.
TikTok, the short-form video app used by 170 million Americans, has been under pressure to separate from its China-based parent, ByteDance, under a law passed by Congress requiring divestment or a U.S. ban. Trump previously extended the original January 19 deadline twice, with the current date set for June 19.
A proposed deal to spin off TikTok’s U.S. operations into a new, U.S.-based and majority U.S.-owned entity had reportedly been in the works. However, the effort was put on hold after Beijing signaled opposition, following Trump’s announcement of 145% tariffs on Chinese imports.
Despite the legal mandate, Trump has shown reluctance to strictly enforce the ban. “TikTok is very interesting, but it will be protected,” he said, noting that the platform helped him connect with younger voters during the 2024 presidential election, which marked the beginning of his second term in office.
Democratic lawmakers have challenged Trump’s authority to unilaterally extend the congressionally mandated deadline. They also expressed doubts that the tentative deal under discussion would meet statutory requirements. A source close to ByteDance’s U.S. investors said last month that negotiations continue, but emphasized that progress hinges on resolving the ongoing tariff dispute between Washington and Beijing.
Trump said China was eager to reach a resolution, citing the economic strain caused by U.S. tariffs. “At some point, I’m going to lower them because otherwise, you could never do business with them. And they want to do business very much,” he told NBC.
