Trump May Extend TikTok Deadline Again Amid Ongoing U.S.-China Tensions

 U.S. President Donald Trump has indicated he may extend the June 19 deadline for ByteDance to divest TikTok’s U.S. operations if a deal isn’t finalized by then. In an interview with NBC’s Meet the Press, taped Friday at Mar-a-Lago and airing Sunday, Trump expressed a fondness for the app, which he credited with helping him connect with younger voters in the 2024 election. “TikTok is very interesting — but it will be protected,” he said.

Trump has already postponed the enforcement of a congressionally mandated TikTok ban twice. The original deadline was January 19, but Trump, who began his second presidential term the following day, chose not to enforce it and has since extended it to June 19.

A deal had been in progress to spin off TikTok’s U.S. assets into a new, American-owned company. However, progress stalled after China signaled it would block the plan, following Trump’s announcement of steep new tariffs on Chinese imports.

While Democratic lawmakers argue Trump lacks the legal authority to extend the divestment deadline and question the legality of the proposed deal, discussions continue. A source close to ByteDance’s U.S. investors confirmed last month that work is ongoing — though resolving the tariff dispute remains key.

Trump told NBC that China is eager to reach a resolution, citing the strain of 145% tariffs on its economy. While he ruled out removing tariffs to restart negotiations, he said they might be reduced as part of a broader trade agreement. “At some point, I’m going to lower them,” Trump noted, “because otherwise, you could never do business with them. And they want to do business very much.”