Trump Grants TikTok Another Extension, Delaying Potential U.S. Ban

President Donald Trump has signed an executive order providing TikTok with a 90-day extension to continue operating within the United States. This action further delays a potential national ban, contingent upon a deal being reached for the platform's sale. This marks the third instance of Trump granting such a reprieve since the law mandating divestiture was enacted, with the new deadline now set for September 17th.

TikTok responded positively to the extension, expressing gratitude for Trump's support in maintaining the platform's availability for U.S. users. The company highlighted that over 170 million users and 7.5 million businesses in the United States depend on the app.

The situation stems from a law passed last year requiring ByteDance, TikTok's Chinese parent company, to either sell its U.S. operations or shut down by January 19th of this year. The law allowed for a 100-day extension if a sale was actively in progress. Legal challenges were filed, but the legislation was upheld by a federal appeals court and the Supreme Court.

TikTok briefly ceased operations and was removed from U.S. app stores before the law took effect. However, it resumed operations shortly after Trump signed an executive order on his first day in office, pausing enforcement of the ban for 75 days. The app was subsequently reinstated in app stores.

The initial extension expired in April. Several parties expressed interest in acquiring TikTok, and White House officials initially appeared optimistic about a U.S.-controlled entity. However, negotiations reportedly failed. Another 90-day extension was granted in April, pushing the deadline to June 19th.

According to a digital policy expert, the TikTok issue is intertwined with broader trade matters, suggesting a simple resolution is unlikely. There is currently no legal limit on the number of times a president can extend the deadline, and no legal challenges have been filed against the extensions. TikTok maintains that it does not pose a national security risk, stating that U.S. user data is not stored in China.