Trump Extends TikTok Deadline, Keeping It Alive in US

TikTok will stay in the United States for at least three more months. This comes after President Donald Trump decided to extend the deadline for either selling or banning the app. This is the third time Trump has pushed back the deadline this year.

White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt said on Tuesday that President Trump will sign a new Executive Order this week to keep TikTok running. The app was supposed to be banned after its Chinese owner, ByteDance, did not sell it to an American company by the original deadline in January.

The 90-day extension will give more time to work out the deal and make sure that TikTok users in the US can keep using the app safely, with their data being protected.

Before this announcement, President Trump had mentioned that he might extend the deadline. He also said that he believes China’s President Xi will approve the deal. Trump is confident that they have the legal right to extend the deadline.

This extension is different from what Congress wanted. Last year, they passed a law requiring a sale or ban of TikTok. Former President Joe Biden signed the bill into law. The law was passed because there were concerns that TikTok might be used by China for spying or spreading political influence.

Even though there has been a lot of talk about banning TikTok, experts believe it’s unlikely to happen anytime soon. Analysts like Kelsey Chickering from Forrester think the situation is much more stable for TikTok now, especially since the platform recently introduced new AI video tools at the Cannes event.

While TikTok has faced challenges, including a brief shutdown before Trump’s inauguration, the company seems confident about its future in the US. Trump himself has said that TikTok has helped him connect with younger voters, even though most young voters supported Kamala Harris in the 2024 election.

Trump previously tried to sell TikTok to an American company in 2020 but couldn’t finalize the deal. Recently, Trump said he would support selling TikTok to Oracle, a cloud computing company, or another potential buyer, including investor groups with people like MrBeast, the world’s biggest YouTuber.

There are still some issues to work out, and ByteDance says any agreement must also be approved by Chinese law.