President Donald Trump announced that he would reach an agreement to sell Tiktok by the April 5 deadline. “We have a lot of potential buyers. There is a lot of interest in Tiktok,” Trump told reporters on Air Force One on Sunday, March 30, adding: “I want to see Tiktok still alive.”
The deadline was originally created under the 2024 law, requiring it to bind its operations to divest its Tiktok or face a national security ban. The U.S. government raised concerns that Palanders’ ownership makes Tiktok vulnerable to the influence of the Chinese government, which could allow Beijing to conduct influence operations and collect data from U.S. users.
Reuters reported on Friday that private equity firm Blackstone is considering making a few investments in Tiktok’s U.S. business. Sources show that Blackstone is negotiating to join Bontedance’s existing non-Chinese investors, including Susquehanna International Group and General Atlantic, contributes new funds to the acquisition of Tiktok’s U.S. operations. Now, the group is seen as a major contender in the negotiations.
Last week, Trump acknowledged China’s role in approving any potential sales and suggested that he might consider lowering tariffs to facilitate the deal. Vice President JD Vance also expressed confidence that the general terms of the agreement will be resolved by April 5.
Tiktok has become a major social media platform, with nearly half of Americans using it, facing an uncertain future since the law was passed in 2024. Although Trump has previously expressed his willingness to extend the deadline if necessary, his latest comments suggest that the resolution may be imminent.
