U.S. President Donald Trump has announced a further 90-day extension for China-based ByteDance to divest the U.S. assets of its popular short-video app, TikTok. This decision comes despite a previous law mandating a sale or shutdown in the absence of significant progress, a deadline originally set for June 19.
White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt confirmed on Tuesday that “President Trump will sign an additional executive order this week to keep TikTok up and running,” effectively pushing the deadline to mid-September. This marks the third reprieve granted by the Trump administration, highlighting a complex interplay of U.S. national security concerns, political strategy, and the app’s immense popularity with American users.
Trump Prioritizes TikTok’s Operation Amidst Divestment Challenges
The latest TikTok deadline extension shows President Trump’s stated desire for the short video app not to “go dark.” According to the White House, the administration intends to utilize the next three months to ensure that a TikTok sale is finalized, providing assurance to Americans that their data is safe and secure while allowing them to continue using the platform.
President Trump had previously indicated in May that he would extend the June 19 deadline, attributing this decision partly to the app’s perceived role in engaging young voters during his 2024 election campaign.
Earlier on Tuesday, speaking to reporters on Air Force One, the President expressed confidence in securing the necessary international cooperation for a deal, stating, “Probably, yeah… Probably have to get China approval but I think we’ll get it. I think President Xi will ultimately approve it.”
Legal Authority Questions and Stalled China Deal Talks
The law in question originally required TikTok to cease operating by January 19 unless ByteDance completed divesting the app’s U.S. assets or demonstrated substantial progress toward a sale. President Trump, who began his second term on January 20, opted not to enforce this initial deadline, instead granting a first extension to early April, and then a second to June 19. The latest 90-day extension now pushes this critical decision point further into the year.
The path to a definitive sale has been fraught with challenges. In March, President Trump had expressed a willingness to reduce tariffs on China if it facilitated a deal with TikTok’s Chinese parent ByteDance to sell the app, which boasts 170 million American users.
A potential deal earlier this spring aimed to spin off TikTok’s U.S. operations into a new U.S.-based firm, majority-owned and operated by U.S. investors. However, these divestment talks were subsequently put on hold after China signaled it would not approve the arrangement, particularly following President Trump’s announcements of steep tariffs on Chinese goods.
This ongoing friction complicates any final agreement. Meanwhile, Democratic senators have voiced concerns regarding the legality of these repeated extensions, arguing that President Trump lacks the legal authority to continuously delay the deadline and suggesting that any proposed deal under current consideration may not meet the established legal requirements for a complete TikTok divestment.
