Despite not yet confirming a buyer, Vice-President JD Vance seems optimistic that TikTok will be sold by the looming deadline on the 5th of April, according to NBC News.
TikTok was briefly banned in the US after political scrutiny and claims that its Chinese ownership could compromise American users’ data, despite Confirming a deal would allow for TikTok to remain in use in the US.
On board Air Force Two last Friday, Vance told reporter Henry Gomez that President Trump had tasked him with confirming a TikTok deal. He claimed the “framework” of the deal would be complete by the 5th of April.
“There will almost certainly be a high-level agreement that I think satisfies our national security concerns, and allows there to be a distinct American TikTok enterprise,” Vance said.
Vance has a past in venture capital and acknowledged that big, complex deals like this take months to finalise. This would potentially mean that any bureaucratic and legal issues could overrun beyond the deadline, however, a deal would be outlined before then.
The current TikTok CEO has very different thoughts
The current CEO of ByteDance, TikTok’s parent company, Shou Zi Chew, has claimed that TikTok will not be sold to an American company, and they’ll also be prepared to challenge the law in court.
ByteDance has denied any influence of the Chinese Communist Party on TikTok and has said the law banning the app infringes on the American constitutional First Amendment right to free speech.
The buyer still remains a mystery
Although Trump seems eager to sell the app, it was actually President Biden who signed off on the order for its sale in April 2024. According to Trump, it’s had many prospective buyers since then, including Elon Musk.
It’s clear the President and Vice-President are motivated to seal the deal as soon as possible.
