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Vice President JD Vance expressed optimism about completing a major TikTok acquisition before the April 5 deadline when the social media platform faces a US ban.
Speaking to NBC News, Vance discussed the negotiations for a US buyer, expressing confidence in reaching an agreement that would address national security concerns while maintaining TikTok’s operations in America.
The timeline stems from President Trump’s Day One executive order, which provided a 75-day grace period for the bipartisan law requiring ByteDance to divest its TikTok ownership. This affects approximately 170 million US users whose content is controlled by ByteDance’s algorithm, raising concerns about data sharing with Chinese authorities.
Vance Says TikTok Will ‘Almost Certainly’ Reach Deal To Avoid U.S. Ban Next Month https://t.co/o15w3W45Es https://t.co/o15w3W45Es
— Forbes (@Forbes) March 15, 2025
The urgency increased after January’s unanimous Supreme Court decision supporting the mandated sale, citing legitimate national security concerns about TikTok’s data collection practices and its ties to China.
These concerns echo those raised by FCC Commissioner Brendan Carr, who in June 2022 wrote, “TikTok collects everything from search and browsing histories to keystroke patterns and biometric identifiers, including faceprints… and voiceprints.”
The search for American buyers has intensified, with Oracle emerging as a frontrunner. Trump recently mentioned negotiations with four different groups, while Wyoming businessman Reid Rasner offered $47.45 billion. Additionally, Reddit co-founder Alexis Ohanian and billionaire Frank McCourt have entered discussions.
In my opinion, TikTok should not be banned in the USA, even though such a ban may benefit the 𝕏 platform.
Doing so would be contrary to freedom of speech and expression. It is not what America stands for.
— Elon Musk (@elonmusk) April 19, 2024
Vance, drawing from his venture capital background, emphasized the complexity of finalizing such a large-scale transaction. While confident about reaching an agreement’s framework, he expressed concern about completing the extensive legal documentation within the tight timeframe.
Though Trump has indicated willingness to extend the deadline, Vance prefers concluding the deal within the original timeframe, focusing on establishing clear equity ownership structures and managing the numerous contractual relationships involved in this complex transaction.
