Trump indicators government order extending the deadline for TikTok’s sale or divestment from Chinese language father or mother firm ByteDance to September 17.
United States President Donald Trump has signed an government order extending the deadline for China-based ByteDance to divest its US property of the short-form video app TikTok by another 90 days, he says, regardless of a legislation that mandated a sale or shutdown.
“I’ve simply signed the Govt Order extending the Deadline for the TikTok closing for 90 days (September 17, 2025),” the president mentioned in a publish on Thursday on his social media platform, Fact Social.
The ban would have in any other case kicked in on Thursday.
“We’re grateful for President Trump’s management and assist in making certain that TikTok continues to be accessible for greater than 170 million American customers and seven.5 million US companies that depend on the platform as we proceed to work with Vice President [JD] Vance’s Workplace,” TikTok mentioned in a press release.
Vance’s workplace has been concerned in negotiations with the platform.
Handed in April 2024 and generally known as the the Defending People from Overseas Adversary Managed Purposes Act, the legislation required TikTok to cease working within the US by January 19 until ByteDance had accomplished divesting itself of the app’s US property or demonstrated important progress in the direction of a sale.
The legislation was challenged within the Supreme Court docket in January, however the nation’s highest court upheld the ban.
Third extension
That is the third time the president has prolonged the deadline. Trump started his second time period as president on January 20 and opted to not implement the legislation. He first prolonged the deadline to early April after which once more final month to June 19.
Democratic senators argued that Trump has no authorized authority to increase the deadline and instructed a deal into account wouldn’t meet authorized necessities.
The White Home on Tuesday mentioned the app might be “mandated a sale or shutdown absent important progress”.
“President Trump doesn’t need TikTok to go darkish,” White Home Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt informed reporters on Tuesday.
She added that the administration will spend the following three months ensuring the sale closes so People can preserve utilizing TikTok with the reassurance that their knowledge is secure and safe.
In March, Trump mentioned he can be keen to scale back tariffs on China to get a deal achieved with ByteDance to promote the app.
A deal had been within the works this spring that may spin off TikTok’s US operations into a brand new US-based agency majority-owned and operated by US traders. That was placed on maintain after China mentioned it will not approve that deal due to the tariffs imposed by the Trump administration.
TikTok has a large US person base, particularly amongst youthful audiences. Based on a survey from Pew Analysis carried out in December, a 3rd of all US adults use TikTok, and among the many below 30 demographic, it’s greater at 59 p.c whereas 67 p.c of teenagers use the platform.
