President Trump said in an interview that aired Sunday that he will again extend a pause on a ban against TikTok in the event that the app’s parent company does not divest from its popular social media platform by the latest deadline.
“Let me ask you about TikTok sir, would you extend that deadline if there’s still no deal? You already” NBC News’s Kristen Welker said in the “Meet the Press” sit-down.
“I would,” Trump cut in, responding to Welker.
The president also said that he has “a little sweet spot in my heart” for the app, noting its popularity among young Americans.
Early last month, the president signed an executive order barring enforcement for 75 days of a law passed by Congress last year making TikTok’s parent company, the Chinese-owned ByteDance, divest from the app or deal with a ban in the U.S.
Trump originally gave TikTok a 75-day break from a ban earlier in his second term.
In early January, Trump questioned what would motivate him “to get rid of TikTok.” By then, his personal account on the platform had received 1.4 billion total views, with 24 million views per post on average.
TikTok CEO Shou Zi Chew also thanked the president in January over his commitment to search for a solution that protects the availability of the app in the U.S.
“On behalf of everyone at TikTok and all our users across the country, I want to thank President Trump for his commitment to work with us to find a solution that keeps TikTok available in the United States,” Chew said in a January post on the platform.
The Hill has reached out to TikTok for comment.
