WASHINGTON, June 17, 2025
TikTok’s fate in the U.S. hangs in the balance, yet again.
Another Reprieve for TikTok
President Trump is extending the deadline for ByteDance to sell TikTok’s U.S. operations, marking the third such extension.
- TikTok has been given another 90 days to find a new owner.
- This is the third extension granted by President Trump.
- Potential buyers include Perplexity AI, AppLovin, and Amazon.
President Trump is granting TikTok a 90-day extension to find a new owner or face a ban in the U.S., giving the company until mid-September to negotiate a deal. This marks the third extension the social media platform has received, much to the surprise of many.
TikTok’s original deadline to separate from its Chinese owner, ByteDance, was January 19. After missing that deadline, the app briefly went dark in the U.S. before being resurrected.
The initial executive order, which Trump signed in 2020, sought to ban TikTok from app stores. While this effort was blocked by a federal judge, concerns have been raised that the platform could be used for propaganda or data collection by the Chinese Communist Party.
President Joe Biden signed the Protecting Americans from Foreign Adversary Controlled Applications Act into law on April 24, 2024, providing ByteDance 270 days to divest from its U.S. app. Trump, however, has softened his stance, even hinting at wanting to “rescue” the app from a ban during his campaign.
White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt stated, “As he has said many times, President Trump does not want TikTok to go dark. This extension will last 90 days, which the Administration will spend working 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.”
Over the past five months, several potential buyers have emerged for TikTok’s U.S. business.
In May, Trump told NBC’s “Meet the Press” host Kristen Welker that he had a “warm spot in his heart” for TikTok.
TikTok and ByteDance have yet to comment on the matter.
