U.S. President Donald Trump has confirmed that a deal for ByteDance to sell TikTok will be reached before the April 5 deadline, avoiding a potential nationwide ban of the short video app used by approximately 170 million Americans, Reuters reports.

“We have a lot of potential buyers,” Trump told reporters aboard Air Force One Sunday. “There’s tremendous interest in TikTok. I’d like to see TikTok remain alive.”

The deadline, set by Trump in January, requires TikTok to find a non-Chinese buyer or face prohibition on national security grounds under 2024 legislation.

Finalizing Negotiations 

Blackstone is evaluating a small minority investment in TikTok’s U.S. operations, according to sources familiar with the matter. The private equity firm is discussing joining ByteDance’s existing non-Chinese shareholders, led by Susquehanna International Group and General Atlantic, in contributing fresh capital to bid for TikTok’s U.S. business.

The White House is closely overseeing deal talks. U.S. Vice President JD Vance expects the general terms of an agreement resolving the ownership of the social media platform to be reached by April 5.

Trump previously indicated willingness to extend the April deadline if an agreement was not reached and acknowledged China’s role in finalizing any deal, suggesting he might offer “a little reduction in tariffs or something to get it done.”

National Security Concerns

As per Reuters, Washington maintains that TikTok’s ownership by ByteDance makes it susceptible to Chinese government influence, potentially enabling Beijing to conduct influence operations against the United States and collect data on Americans.

The future of the app, used by nearly half of all Americans, has been uncertain since a 2024 law passed with bipartisan support required ByteDance to divest TikTok by January 2025.