Trump set the April 5 deadline in January for TikTok to find a non-Chinese buyer or face a U.S. ban on national security grounds due to have taken effect that month under a 2024 law.
“We have a lot of potential buyers. There’s tremendous interest in TikTok,” Trump told reporters onboard Air Force One.
“We have a lot of people that want to buy TikTok. We’re dealing with China also on it, because they may have something to do with it,” he said, adding, “I’d like to see TikTok remain alive.”
Trump said this month the United States was in talks with four groups interested in acquiring the platform, which has 170 million American users.
A US law has ordered TikTok to divest from ByteDance or be banned in the United States, enacted over concerns that Beijing could exploit the app to spy on Americans or covertly influence US public opinion.
The law took effect on January 19, a day before Trump’s inauguration, but he quickly announced a delay that has allowed it to continue to operate.
That delay is set to expire on April 5.
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“There’ll be a deal with TikTok, I’m pretty certain,” Trump said when asked if he would extend the deadline if there was no deal.
Trump attempted to ban TikTok in the United States on national security concerns during his first stint in the White House, but has warmed up to it.
“Selfishly speaking, I won the young vote by 36 points. Republicans generally don’t do very well with the young crowd, and I think a lot of it could have been TikTok,” he said.
Trump previously said he was willing to extend the April deadline if an agreement over the social media app was not reached.
Last week, he acknowledged the role China will play in getting any deal done, including giving its approval, saying “maybe I’ll give them a little reduction in tariffs or something to get it done.”
Vice President JD Vance has said he expects the general terms of an agreement resolving the ownership of the social media platform to be reached by April 5.
The future of the app used by nearly half of all Americans has been up in the air since a 2024 law, passed with overwhelming bipartisan support, required ByteDance to divest TikTok by January 19.
The White House has been involved to an unprecedented level in the closely watched deal talks, effectively playing the role of investment bank.
