In a recent move, President Donald Trump has granted a 90-day extension for TikTok’s parent company, ByteDance, to finalize the sale of the popular short-form video app to an American owner. This decision, announced on Thursday, allows the Chinese company to continue operating TikTok within the United States while discussions about the sale are ongoing. Trump stated on Truth Social, “I’ve just signed the Executive Order extending the Deadline for the TikTok closing for 90 days (September 17, 2025). Thank you for your attention to this matter!”
In response to the extension, TikTok expressed gratitude for President Trump’s leadership and support, emphasizing the app's significance for over 170 million American users and approximately 7.5 million U.S. businesses that rely on the platform. TikTok stated, “We continue to work with Vice President JD Vance’s Office to ensure TikTok remains available to our users.”
While aboard Air Force One on Wednesday morning, Trump remarked that he believes Chinese President Xi Jinping would be open to a deal regarding the sale of TikTok. He indicated that any potential buyer would need Xi's approval for the transaction to proceed. ByteDance, the company headquartered in Beijing, has faced scrutiny over data security concerns since TikTok's rise in popularity.
White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt reiterated the administration's commitment to ensuring that Americans can continue to access TikTok. She stated, “As he has said many times, President Trump does not want TikTok to go dark. This extension will last 90 days, during which the administration will work to ensure this deal is closed so that the American people can continue to use TikTok with the assurance that their data is safe and secure.”
According to Pew Research Center, support for a ban on TikTok has diminished among the American public. A law banning TikTok was initially passed under the Biden administration due to national security concerns, which led to the app briefly going offline just before Trump’s inauguration. However, following Trump’s declaration to keep TikTok operational, the app resumed its functions.
TikTok has consistently denied any allegations regarding security risks to the United States, asserting that American user data is not stored in China. Following last year’s proposed ban, many American users began exploring alternative platforms, such as the Chinese social media app RedNote, indicating a level of indifference toward data privacy concerns in relation to China. However, with the extension granted to TikTok, users appear to be returning to the platform, resulting in decreased interest in RedNote.
After taking office, Trump signed an extension giving ByteDance a total of 75 days to find a buyer for TikTok, which concluded on April 5. Before this deadline, several potential suitors expressed interest in acquiring the app, including Amazon, Reddit co-founder Alexis Ohanian in collaboration with billionaire investor Frank McCourt, the AI startup Perplexity AI, and former treasury secretary Steven Mnuchin. Despite initial optimism from Trump's administration regarding a sale, no agreement was reached, particularly following the imposition of sweeping tariffs on China.
Subsequently, Trump extended the deadline again by another 90 days, which was set to expire on Thursday. According to existing laws, ByteDance is required to sell TikTok to a U.S.-based buyer. Despite their previous assertions against selling the app, ByteDance has remained largely silent about any ongoing negotiations or decisions regarding a potential sale. This shift in strategy marks a significant change from Trump’s earlier stance during his first term when he signed an executive order to ban TikTok, a ban that was later overturned by the courts.
