Photo Credit: Solen Feyissa
With the deadline for TikTok in the US only two days away, VP Vance says a deal will happen before the weekend. But that seems as unlikely as ever — TikTok’s Chinese parent ByteDance is still hesitant to deal.
As the list of potential suitors for TikTok in the US grows ever longer — and with the previously extended deadline set for April 5 — the discussion surrounding TikTok’s future in the United States is heating up. The social platform faces being shut down in the US unless it sells its operations to an American company by April 5.
Despite President Trump and Vice President Vance insisting a deal will materialize before the deadline this weekend, that still seems unlikely. TikTok and its Chinese parent company, ByteDance, have not confirmed a willingness to deal. In fact, ByteDance and the broader Chinese government have previously said they would rather shutter US operations altogether than sell. And that doesn’t seem to have changed.
Further, it’s unclear what exactly would be sold — TikTok’s powerful algorithm is considered a major reason for its success, and the platform’s China-based ownership is reluctant to let that go.
“TikTok without its algorithm is like Harry Potter without his wand — it’s simply not as powerful,” said Kelsey Chickering, Principale Anaylst at Forrester Research. But Chickering also thinks it’s unlikely the app will go dark in the US as it did briefly in January. “All signs point to a deal or another extension.”
Another extension definitely seems the most likely event. But VP Vance told Fox News that the Trump administration was set to announce a deal ahead of the Saturday deadline. “I think we’re in a good place. We’re going to keep working on it,” said Vance.
“We’ve got to wait a couple days to continue working on it, to finalize some things, and of course we’re going to let the president announce whatever we ultimately decide,” he added.
“We’re dealing with China also on it because they may have something to do with it,” Trump told reporters on Air Force One last week. “And we’ll see how that goes. But it’s something I think you’re going to have; I’d like to see TikTok remain alive.”
Still, Trump’s proposed tariffs certainly aren’t sweetening any potential deal for China, despite the president saying previously that he would consider letting some of the pressure off China to secure a TikTok deal. Whether another deadline is ordered, or whether China will agree to a US deal, remains to be seen.
