WASHINGTON, June 19, 2025 – President Donald Trump has signed an executive order extending the deadline for TikTok’s China-based parent company, ByteDance, to divest its U.S. operations by an additional 90 days, pushing the deadline to September 17, 2025. This marks the third extension since Trump took office in January, as he seeks to avoid a nationwide ban on the popular video-sharing app, which boasts over 170 million American users.
In a statement on Truth Social, Trump announced, “I’ve just signed the Executive Order extending the Deadline for the TikTok closing for 90 days. Thank you for your attention to this matter!” The White House emphasized Trump’s desire to keep TikTok operational, with Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt stating, “President Trump does not want TikTok to go dark. This extension will allow the administration to ensure this deal is closed so Americans can continue to use TikTok with assurance that their data is safe and secure.”
The extension follows a bipartisan law passed in 2024, signed by former President Joe Biden, which mandated ByteDance to sell TikTok’s U.S. assets by January 19, 2025, or face a ban due to national security concerns over potential data collection by the Chinese government. The Supreme Court upheld the law in January, rejecting TikTok’s free speech arguments. Despite a brief 14-hour shutdown on January 18, Trump’s first executive order on January 20 delayed enforcement for 75 days, followed by another extension in April.
The latest delay comes amid stalled negotiations, exacerbated by Trump’s imposition of a 34% tariff on Chinese imports, which prompted China to retaliate with matching tariffs and halt a potential deal. A proposed agreement in April would have spun off TikTok’s U.S. operations into a new company majority-owned by American investors, including Oracle, Blackstone, and Andreessen Horowitz, with ByteDance retaining a 20% stake. However, ByteDance informed the White House that China would not approve the deal without resolving tariff disputes.
Potential buyers, including Amazon, billionaire Frank McCourt’s Project Liberty, and Reddit co-founder Alexis Ohanian, have expressed interest, but any deal requires approval from the Chinese government, complicating negotiations. Trump has suggested tariffs could be leveraged to secure China’s consent, stating, “This proves that Tariffs are the most powerful Economic tool, and very important to our National Security!”
Legal experts question the extensions’ legality, noting the law allows only one 90-day extension if significant progress toward divestiture is certified to Congress. Critics, including University of Minnesota law professor Alan Rozenshtein, argue Trump’s actions amount to “unilateral non-enforcement,” as TikTok technically operates in violation of federal law. Senator Josh Hawley has urged enforcement, stating, “The courts have been clear on this.” Despite this, no significant legal challenges have emerged, and companies like Apple and Google continue hosting TikTok without penalties, per Trump’s assurances.
Posts on X reflect mixed sentiment, with @AP reporting the extension as breaking news and @CGasparino noting TikTok’s future is tied to U.S.-China trade talks. Trump’s shift from attempting to ban TikTok in his first term to championing its survival—partly due to its role in his 2024 election campaign—continues to fuel debate.
As the September deadline looms, the administration, led by Vice President JD Vance, faces pressure to finalize a deal that addresses national security concerns while keeping TikTok accessible to millions of Americans.