TikTok’s fate sealed? JD Vance teases ‘high-level’ deal before April 5 deadline

S Vice President JD Vance said on Friday that he anticipates a "high-level" deal regarding TikTok before the April 5 deadline, easing concerns about the app's future in the United States.

“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,” Vance told NBC News during an interview aboard Air Force Two.

Vance, without disclosing specific details about the negotiations or potential buyers, indicated on Friday that clerical issues might delay the finalisation of an agreement beyond the deadline. 

“Typically, some of these deals that are much smaller and involve much less capital take months to close,” said Vance, who worked in venture capital before entering politics as a U.S. senator from Ohio. “We’re trying to close this thing by early April. I think that the outlines of this thing will be very clear. The question is whether we can get all the paper done.”

Vance expressed optimism that an extension would not be needed.

“We’d like to get it done without the extension,” he said. “I think the question is, what is the equity ownership of the new joint venture? How do you do the contracts for all the investors, the customers, the service providers? … The deal itself will be very clear, but actually creating those thousands and thousands of pages of legal documents, that’s the one thing that I worry could slip.”

“I think whether it’s through an extension, or whether it’s through actually just getting the deal in place satisfies the national security concerns, I think we’re going to be in a place where we can say TikTok is operational, and it’s also operational in a way that’s protective of Americans’ data privacy and America’s national security,” he added.

Trump Administration’s efforts on TikTok

President Donald Trump assigned Vance and national security adviser Michael Waltz last month to oversee negotiations on the potential sale of TikTok.

The social media platform has faced scrutiny over its Chinese ownership, with lawmakers citing national security risks related to user data and potential foreign influence.

TikTok’s fate has been uncertain since the enforcement of a law requiring its parent company, ByteDance, to either sell the platform or face a ban. Trump, who took office on January 20, signed an executive order delaying the law’s enforcement by 75 days, pushing the deadline to April 5.

With the deadline approaching, all eyes are on the White House and potential buyers as the future of TikTok in the US remains in limbo.