President Trump said the negotiations regarding the sale of the Chinese-owned app TikTok are not tied to any tariff deals with China, but he’s open to it.
When asked in the Oval Office if the two deals are tied to each other, Mr. Trump said, “No, but it could be.”
“I’ve used tariffs for lots of different reasons,” he said. “I’m a very flexible person, I could use that for that, like maybe I’ll take a couple [percentage points] points off if I get approvals for something.”
There are currently 20% tariffs on Chinese imports.
The deadline to sell TikTok or see the social media app banned in the U.S. is April 5, but Mr. Trump said he could “extend if I want.”
“We have a lot of enthusiasm for TikTok for buying it,” he said. “I think TikTok is good.”
He told reporters late Sunday aboard Air Force One that there are “a lot of potential buyers.”
The app, owned by ByteDance, has 170 million users in the U.S. It was originally supposed to be banned in the U.S. by Jan. 19 if it wasn’t sold to an American company, after former President Biden signed a law mandating its sale.
On his first day in office, Mr. Trump extended the deadline for its sale by 75 days.
Mr. Trump, who was once an advocate for the banning of TikTok to protect the national security of the U.S., has since changed his tune after receiving the votes of the younger generation — the biggest demographic on the app — in the November election.
