Trump says TikTok has a ‘warm spot in my heart’, will delay ban if necessary
President Donald Trump said he is open to extending a deadline for a TikTok deal if no agreement with ByteDance is reached by June 19. “I’d like to see it done,” Trump said in an interview with NBC’s “Meet the Press” with Kristen Welker. The interview was taped Friday, May 2, at Trump’s Mar-a-Lago estate and aired Sunday, May 4.
“Perhaps I shouldn’t say this, but I have a little warm spot in my heart for TikTok,” Trump said. “TikTok is — it’s very interesting, but it’ll be protected. It’ll be very strongly protected. But if it needs an extension, I would be willing to give it an extension. Might not need it.”
A source close to ByteDance’s U.S. investors told Reuters that discussions on a potential deal were ongoing, but a resolution to the U.S.-China tariff dispute would likely be necessary to move forward.
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Between Feb. 2023 and Jan. 2024, TikTok’s U.S. audience grew from 150M to 170M, according to TikTok’s CEO. Pew Research estimates 33% of U.S. adults have used the app.
Trump said Beijing was eager to make a deal, citing the economic pressure caused by 145% tariffs on Chinese goods. He added that he would not reduce tariffs to entice China into negotiations but might do so as part of a broader agreement.
“At some point, I’m going to lower them because otherwise, you could never do business with them,” Trump said. “And they want to do business very much.”
Beijing has denied that it is engaged in any conversations with the White House, though most recently, China said it is considering trade talks.
Trump previously announced a 75-day extension on April 4. This is the second such delay this year, postponing enforcement of a law requiring ByteDance to divest TikTok’s U.S. operations or face a nationwide ban.
The law, signed in 2024 by President Joe Biden, was originally set to take effect in January. Trump delayed implementation via executive order. On the eve of the law taking effect, Apple and Google removed TikTok from their app stores amid concerns about federal penalties. The app also briefly shut down for U.S. users.
Despite legislation that would allow the government to fine companies $5,000 per user for enabling access to TikTok, Trump instructed the attorney general not to enforce penalties on app store operators. TikTok returned to the app stores in February.
Ella Rae Greene, Editor In Chief
