Vice President JD Vance expressed optimism on Friday regarding the possibility of finalizing a deal to permit TikTok’s continued operation in the United States by early April. During an interview with NBC News aboard Air Force Two, Vance commented, “There will almost certainly be a high-level agreement that satisfies our national security concerns and creates a distinct American TikTok enterprise.”
The future of TikTok has been under scrutiny since a law mandating the divestment of its China-based parent company, or else prohibiting the app, went into effect on January 19. Upon assuming office, President Donald Trump granted TikTok a 75-day extension by issuing an executive order that postponed the law’s enforcement until April 5.
Vice President Vance, alongside National Security Adviser Michael Waltz, was assigned the task by Trump to identify an approved buyer for the app. On Sunday, President Trump disclosed to reporters on Air Force One that the administration was in negotiations with “four different groups” concerning TikTok and suggested that a resolution could be imminent.
Neither TikTok nor its parent company, ByteDance, has made public statements regarding these ongoing discussions. Additionally, there is no clarity on whether ByteDance has revised its position on selling TikTok, a stance they maintained previously as opposed.
In response to earlier remarks, ByteDance and TikTok initiated a legal challenge against the federal legislation, which received bipartisan support in Congress and was signed by then-President Joe Biden. However, the U.S. Supreme Court ruled against the companies in January.
NBC News reported that Vance refrained from identifying potential buyers; nonetheless, he cautioned that some factors could result in the finalization of an agreement being postponed past the April 5 deadline. “We’d like to get it done without the extension,” Vance told the news outlet. “The question is, what is the equity ownership of the new joint venture? How do you do the contracts for all the investors, the customers, the service providers? … The deal itself will be very clear, but actually creating those thousands and thousands of pages of legal documents, that’s the one thing that I worry could slip,” he added.
President Trump previously stated that the TikTok deal deadline could be extended if necessary. He also suggested the U.S. might acquire a 50% stake in a future joint venture; however, specifics on such a deal remain undisclosed.
