US Vice President JD Vance indicated that the general terms of an agreement to resolve the ownership of TikTok could be finalised by the 5 April deadline, according to two White House officials.
The social media platform’s future has been uncertain since a law requiring its Chinese owner, ByteDance, to either sell it on national security grounds or face a ban took effect on 19 January.
President Donald Trump, upon taking office on 20 January, signed an executive order delaying the enforcement of the law by 75 days. Last month, he appointed Vance and National Security Adviser Michael Waltz to oversee the potential sale of TikTok.
Over the weekend, Trump mentioned that his administration was in discussions with four different groups interested in acquiring the platform.
During an interview aboard Air Force Two with NBC News, Vance expressed optimism about reaching a deal.
There will almost certainly be a high-level agreement that I think satisfies our national security concerns, allows there to be a distinct American TikTok enterprise.
A White House official noted that while a high-level agreement might be reached by the deadline, additional work on the finer details of the deal could extend beyond 5 April.
