Washington, DC [US]: US President Donald Trump said on Sunday that a deal to resolve the TikTok ban was “pretty close” to being finalized, but claimed China backed out due to newly imposed US tariffs.
Speaking to reporters aboard Air Force One, Trump suggested that if he had agreed to reduce tariffs, Beijing would have approved the TikTok deal “in 15 minutes.” He added that the situation highlights the leverage the US holds through tariffs.
“The report is that we had a deal, pretty much for TikTok, not a deal, but pretty close, and then China changed the deal because of tariffs. If I gave a little cut in tariffs, they’d approve that deal in 15 minutes, which shows you the power of tariffs,” Trump told reporters.
On April 2, Trump announced a 34% tariff on Chinese imports, part of his broader reciprocal trade policy targeting countries with major trade surpluses with the US. In response, China announced a 34% retaliatory tariff on all US imports, set to take effect on April 10, according to CNN.
TikTok Executive Order Extension
In a Truth Social post on Friday, Trump confirmed that his administration had been working hard to “SAVE TIKTOK” and announced an Executive Order to extend the app’s operational window by 75 days, giving negotiators more time.
“We have made tremendous progress. The deal requires more work to ensure all necessary approvals are signed, which is why I am signing an Executive Order to keep TikTok up and running for an additional 75 days,” Trump wrote.
He expressed optimism that talks with China would continue in “good faith” despite tensions over tariffs and emphasized that the goal is to avoid TikTok “going dark.”
“This proves that tariffs are the most powerful economic tool and very important to our national security! We do not want TikTok to ‘go dark.’ We look forward to working with TikTok and China to close the deal,” Trump added.
Background: TikTok Under Pressure
In 2023, former President Joe Biden signed a law mandating that ByteDance, TikTok’s parent company, either divest its US operations or face a ban, citing national security risks over user data.
Although the law was scheduled to take effect in January, Trump issued a 75-day postponement upon taking office, seeking to negotiate an agreement to preserve the platform in the US.
A ByteDance spokesperson confirmed that discussions with the US government are ongoing, stating:
“An agreement has not been executed. There are key matters to be resolved. Any agreement will be subject to approval under Chinese law.”