US President Donald Trump (AP images)
US President Donald Trump on Sunday struck an ambiguous note on the future of TikTok, suggesting that China would ultimately decide the app’s fate just days ahead of a September 17 deadline for its parent company ByteDance to sell its US assets or face a ban.“We may let it die, or we may, I don’t know — it depends, up to China,” Trump told reporters in New Jersey before returning to Washington. Trump has already pushed back the TikTok deadline three times since January. While lawmakers warn that the app poses national security risks, he has also credited it with helping him connect with younger voters during last year’s election.Last month, US President said that he had US buyers lined up for the app and signaled he could extend the deadline again. On Sunday, however, he sounded less certain. “It doesn’t matter too much. I’d like to do it for the kids. They like it,” he said.The president also pointed to TikTok’s role in his campaign outreach. “I did very well on TikTok, and I got the youth vote and I got numbers that nobody’s ever even come close to in the Republican Party,” he said.“Some was attributed to TikTok, and a lot was attributed to Charlie,” he added, referring to conservative activist Charlie Kirk who was assassinated on September 10 while speaking at Utah Valley University. Sources suggest that the administration is likely to grant another extension rather than force a shutdown this week. Such a move would give more time for negotiations but could frustrate lawmakers in Congress who have pressed for a clear decision on the platform, as reported by news agency Reuters. Meanwhile, American and Chinese officials held talks in Madrid on Sunday, where TikTok was part of a broader trade agenda. US Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent and Trade Representative Jamieson Greer met Chinese Vice Premier He Lifeng and top negotiator Li Chenggang.TikTok had not featured in earlier rounds of trade discussions in Geneva, London and Stockholm. Since beginning his second term in January, Trump has chosen not to enforce the law requiring TikTok’s US assets to be sold or shut down. Instead, he has pushed back the deadline three times, first to April, then to June and most recently to September.With the deadline approaching, a final agreement is unlikely, leaving the platform’s future uncertain.
