When Donald Trump took office for the second time as US President, he was forced to grant a delay to the law banning TikTok in the US. It was initially in effect until early April, then the president extended it until June 19. Trump recently explained that he is ready to grant a third delay if the deal with ByteDance is not concluded by that date.
Image source: Unsplash, Solen Feyissa
Let us recall that the US authorities are trying to separate in one way or another TikTok assets related to the activities of this Chinese social network in the country. It is assumed that this platform in the American jurisdiction will come under the control of a consortium of investors, and Oracle will continue to be responsible for storing and processing the personal data of American TikTok users. So far, the negotiations have not been successful, but during his interview last Friday, Donald Trump made it clear that he is still determined to conclude a deal on TikTok: “I would like to see this deal concluded.”
The US President has admitted that he has warmed up to the Chinese social network after it helped him win votes from young American audiences during the election campaign. “TikTok is very interesting, but it will be protected,” Trump explained late last week. It is believed that the TikTok deal will be used by Trump as a kind of bargaining chip in negotiations with China over customs tariffs. The US President explained that he will not use this pretext to force the Chinese side to negotiate, but admitted that he is ready to reduce import duties on Chinese goods as part of a broader agreement with China. If they are not reduced, as Trump explained, then “we will never be able to do business with them, and they want to do business very badly.” Several US Democratic senators argue that Trump does not have the legal authority to extend the delay in the entry into force of the TikTok ban for a third time. They also believe that the TikTok deal currently being discussed does not meet the requirements of the law, which was passed with the active assistance of representatives of this party.