US deadline looms over TikTok sale

The United States President, Donald Trump, has on Wednesday March 26, 2025, hinted at reducing tariff rates on TikTok deal.

Media report says this decision is to enable China secure TikTok’s parent company, ByteDance and divest TikTok from the social media platform.

Speaking with reporters on Wednesday, Trump stated that China might have a role to play in approving the sale.

Trump said he could offer tariff reductions to get the deal done.

“With respect to TikTok, China is going to have to play a role in that, possibly in the form of an approval, maybe, and I think they’ll do that.

“Maybe I’ll give them a little reduction in tariffs or something to get it done,” he said.

Under American law, ByteDance was originally required to divest from TikTok by January 19 or face a potential ban.

However, Trump extended the deadline by 75 days, pushing it to April 5.

The US president has now suggested that he may grant another extension if an agreement is not reached before the deadline.

The issue of TikTok’s ownership has been a contentious one in the US, with concerns raised over potential data security risks and China’s alleged influence on the platform.

Former US President, Joe Biden, signed the ban-or-sale law into effect in April 2024, citing national security risks.

Earlier, Republican lawmakers have long pushed for restrictions on TikTok, before the Hamas-led attack on Israel on October 7, 2023.

Critics have also accused the platform of using pro-Palestinian content and spreading anti-Israel narratives.

Mike Gallagher, a former US congressman, argued that bipartisan consensus for a TikTok ban had been growing but gained new momentum after the attack on Israel.

TikTok has denied allegations of bias, insisting that its algorithm reflects public opinion rather than promoting any particular viewpoint.

However, some US lawmakers, including Senator Marco Rubio, maintain that the app is a tool for Chinese propaganda.

US Vice President JD Vance has expressed confidence that an agreement on TikTok’s ownership will be reached before the April 5 deadline.

The future of TikTok, an app used by nearly half of all Americans, has remained uncertain since the US Supreme Court upheld the ban in January.

The platform briefly went offline before Trump, on his first day back in office, issued an executive order delaying enforcement until April 5.

Trump has left the door open for extensions, stating that he wants to personally oversee the negotiations to ensure the deal is completed.

For Diaspora Digital Media Updates click on Whatsapp, or Telegram. For eyewitness accounts/ reports/ articles, write to: citizenreports@diasporadigitalmedia.com. Follow us on X (Fomerly Twitter) or Facebook