US president Donald Trump has again extended the deadline for the sale of TikTok to a non-Chinese buyer, by 75 days.
This marks the second time Trump has delayed the ban, citing the need for further review to ensure all necessary approvals are secured. The announcement was made on his Truth Social platform, where Trump stated the TikTok deal “requires more work”.
The TikTok ban was signed into law by former US president Joe Biden in April 2024, citing national security concerns.
The popular social media platform for creating, sharing and discovering short-form videos, owned by Chinese company ByteDance, has been at the centre of US national security discussions due to concerns over data privacy and potential foreign influence.
In January, the Protecting Americans from Foreign Adversary Controlled Applications Act mandated that ByteDance divest its US operations by 5 April or face a nationwide ban.
The law mandates that applications deemed threats to national security, like TikTok, must divest from foreign adversary control, or face a ban.
The video-sharing app is used by 170 million Americans. According to Statista’s 2024 stats, TikTok's user base is estimated to be around two billion people worldwide.
“My administration has been working very hard on a deal to save TikTok, and we have made tremendous progress. The deal requires more work to ensure all necessary approvals are signed, which is why I am signing an executive order to keep TikTok up and running for an additional 75 days,” Trump posted on Friday.
Trump added that his administration hopes to continue working in good faith with China.
“I understand (China) are not very happy about our reciprocal tariffs (necessary for fair and balanced trade between China and the USA). This proves that tariffs are the most powerful economic tool, and very important to our national security! We do not want TikTok to ‘go dark’. We look forward to working with TikTok and China to close the deal.”
In January, TikTok briefly went dark in the US, but Trump intervened with an executive order, extending the ban deadline by 75 days, which was set to expire on Saturday.
In response to the extension, ByteDance says it has been in discussion with the US government regarding a potential solution for TikTok.
According to ByteDance’s spokesperson, an agreement has not been executed. “There are key matters to be resolved. Any agreement will be subject to approval under Chinese law,” said the spokesperson.
In February, Trump hinted at a TikTok acquisition through the newly-established US Sovereign Wealth Fund.
According to reports, several entities, including Amazon and a group led by OnlyFans founder Tim Stokely, have expressed interest in acquiring TikTok's US operations. However, any potential sale requires approval from both US and Chinese authorities.
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