WASHINGTON, June 19, 2025
TikTok’s Future in the U.S. Remains Uncertain
President Trump has granted TikTok’s parent company, ByteDance, a third extension to sell the app to an American buyer. This allows the platform to continue operating in the United States for another 90 days.
- Trump signed an executive order extending the deadline to September 17, 2025.
- The extension aims to prevent the loss of access for TikTok’s 170 million American users.
- Several potential buyers, including Amazon and Reddit co-founder Alexis Ohanian, have expressed interest.
In a surprise move, former President Donald Trump extended the deadline for TikTok to be sold to a U.S. buyer. This means the popular video-sharing app can continue operating in the United States while negotiations proceed. The executive order, signed on Thursday, gives ByteDance, TikTok’s Chinese parent company, an additional 90 days to finalize a sale.
Trump confirmed the extension on Truth Social, stating, “I just signed the executive order that extends the deadline for the closing of Tiktok… thanks for the attention you have dedicated to this question!” This third extension underscores the complex situation surrounding TikTok’s future in America. The initial deadline was set to expire on April 5.
The extension is intended to ensure that the app’s 170 million American users don’t lose access while the negotiations continue. White House press officer Karoline Leavitt declared that the administration’s priority is to safeguard data security while maintaining access to the app.
“President Trump does not want Tiktok to become dark,” said Leavitt.
“This extension will last 90 days, that the administration will take to work to ensure that this agreement is closed so that the American people can continue to use Tiktok with the certainty that their data is safe.”
This shift marks a significant change from Trump’s previous stance during his first term when he signed an executive order to ban TikTok in 2020 for national security concerns. The courts later canceled this prohibition.
The Biden administration has also attempted to limit TikTok through legislation. This resulted in a law requiring ByteDance to either sell the app to an American buyer or face a ban. This law was subsequently upheld by the United States Supreme Court.
TikTok briefly went offline in the U.S. earlier this year after the ban went into effect. However, the service was quickly restored following Trump’s public signal that he intended to keep the app operational.
Who Wants to Buy TikTok?
ByteDance hasn’t stated whether it intends to comply with the divestiture order. The company previously said it wouldn’t sell TikTok but has remained silent on the latest developments.
Several potential buyers showed interest in acquiring TikTok’s U.S. operations before the initial April 5 deadline. Amazon submitted a last-minute offer, and Reddit co-founder Alexis Ohanian joined investor Frank McCourt in a separate proposal. Other interested parties included Perplexity AI and Steven Mnuchin, the former U.S. Treasury Secretary under Trump.
Despite optimism within the Trump Administration regarding a possible agreement, escalating commercial tensions and new tariffs on Chinese assets have complicated the negotiations. Consequently, no sale was completed by the April deadline.
The Complexities of a TikTok Deal
While aboard Air Force One on Wednesday, Trump said he believed that Chinese President Xi Jinping should have approved any TikTok sale. ByteDance is based in Beijing, and any transaction involving its primary assets would likely need approval from Chinese regulatory authorities.
“I think it will be available,” said Trump, referring to Xi. “If a buyer moves on, I think he should sign.”
Analysts see the extended process as an example of the broader technological rivalry between the United States and China, in which national security, data privacy, and geopolitical strategy frequently clash. TikTok has consistently denied posing a security risk to U.S. users and stated that American user data is not stored in China.
