US President Donald Trump signaled Wednesday that he might ease tariffs on China if its government approves the TikTok deal arranged by his administration.
At a White House press meeting, Trump told reporters: "With respect to TikTok, and 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."
Trump signed a directive in February advocating for "fair and reciprocal" duties on key US trade partners, including longstanding allies. Earlier, he had declared that April 2, the date broad tariffs were to be revealed, would be known as "Liberation Day in America."
TikTok's future in the US has been uncertain since last year after a bipartisan law signed by former President Biden required the app's Chinese owner, ByteDance, to sell the platform or face a ban.
The platform challenged the law, but the Supreme Court upheld it in Biden's final days. TikTok temporarily went offline before Trump's inauguration but resumed service after he hinted at reconsidering the ban.
Since the executive order, Vice President JD Vance and National Security Adviser Michael Waltz have been working to secure a buyer. Vance told NBC News he was confident a deal would be reached before the deadline.
Meanwhile, speculation about TikTok's sale has grown, with multiple bidders, including billionaire Reid Rasner, expressing interest in the $50 billion-valued platform.
"We will find the one that's best, best for the country," Trump said Wednesday. "I'm worried about our country more than anything else with respect to TikTok."
