TikTok lives to see another day as President Trump prepares to sign a new executive order, giving the app a temporary reprieve. Remember when the fate of TikTok was a major concern? Well, it seems like this looming threat is postponed, at least for the next three months.
Trump is stepping in with a new order to give TikTok more time, as over 170 million Americans continue to use the platform.
The deadline set for June 19 is fast approaching, but TikTok, which is owned by ByteDance, has not yet been sold to a US-based company. The administration is hopeful that a deal will be reached by mid-September, and the platform can remain operational in the United States with enhanced data security measures.
According to White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt, Trump plans to sign an executive order this week to keep the app alive. A spokesperson further confirmed that the administration does not intend to shut down TikTok. Instead, the next three months will focus on ensuring that the sale is finalized, which could potentially lead to more robust data protection policies for the app.
Back in May, Trump expressed optimism about an extension, acknowledging that approval from Chinese authorities would be needed for the deal to go through. The idea is that President Xi would eventually give the green light. Trump previously praised TikTok for helping him connect with younger voters during the 2024 election, which has likely influenced his stance on the app’s future.
Under a law signed by President Biden last year, TikTok was required to cease operations in the US by January 19 unless ByteDance made significant progress toward selling its US business. When Trump took office for his second term, he chose not to enforce the deadline. Instead, he extended it twice-first to April, and then to June 19.
Earlier this year, Trump hinted that he might consider lowering tariffs on Chinese imports to smooth the path for a deal with ByteDance. Talks were initially underway to spin off TikTok’s US operations into a new company, owned by US investors. However, these discussions hit a snag after China expressed strong disapproval of Trump’s proposal to raise tariffs on Chinese products. Meanwhile, Democratic lawmakers argue that Trump lacks the legal authority to extend the deadline and claim the proposed deal does not meet current legal standards.