China Backed Out of Imminent TikTok Deal Due to Tariffs, Trump Says

The U.S. president said that the Chinese regime would have approved the deal ‘in 15 minutes’ if he reduced tariffs.

A woman holds a phone displaying the TikTok app, in this file photo, on Aug. 11, 2024. Oleksii Pydsosonnii/The Epoch Times

President Donald Trump said on Sunday that China was close to approving a deal for the sale of TikTok but backed out due to the 54 percent tariffs on Chinese imports.

“We had a deal pretty much for TikTok, not a deal but pretty close. And then China changed the deal because of tariffs,” Trump told reporters aboard Air Force One. “If I gave a little cut in tariffs, they would approve that deal in 15 minutes, which shows the power of tariffs.”