US President Donald Trump has extended the deadline for TikTok to find a non-Chinese buyer or face a ban in the United States, offering 75 more days to secure a solution. The move comes as Trump continues efforts to broker a deal that would prevent the popular video-sharing app, owned by Chinese company ByteDance, from being shut down due to national security concerns.
On Friday, Trump took to Truth Social to announce the extension, citing significant progress in negotiations. "My Administration has been working very hard on a deal to save TikTok, and we have made tremendous progress," he wrote. "A transaction 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."
TikTok, which boasts more than 170 million American users, has been at the center of a political firestorm due to fears that its Chinese ownership could give Beijing access to sensitive user data. A US law passed last year mandates that TikTok must either sever ties with ByteDance or face a potential ban in the US.
While Trump has insisted that his administration is close to securing a deal with multiple investors to purchase the app, details have remained scarce. ByteDance has confirmed that discussions with the US government are ongoing, but it has also cautioned that key matters remain unresolved. "An agreement has not been executed," the company said, adding that any deal would be "subject to approval under Chinese law."
The legal battle over TikTok's future began in earnest in January 2020, when the US government moved forward with plans for a ban citing national security concerns. Although ByteDance initially made no attempt to find a buyer, the company faced temporary setbacks when TikTok was removed from app stores in the US, disappointing millions of users.
However, Trump granted an initial 75-day reprieve, allowing TikTok to return to the Apple and Google app stores in February, with the latest extension offering the company additional time to finalize a deal and avoid a complete shutdown in the US. As the deadline approaches, the outcome of these negotiations remains uncertain, with many watching closely to see how the US will handle its concerns about foreign control over popular social media platforms.
(This story is published from a syndicated feed)