Trump to Delay TikTok Ban as Walmart Considers Throwing Hat in the Ring to Buy the App
Washington, D.C., April 4, 2025 – President Donald Trump announced Friday he will sign an executive order extending the deadline for TikTok to be sold or banned in the U.S. by an additional 75 days, pushing the current April 5 cutoff to mid-June. The move, detailed in a Truth Social post, comes as retail giant Walmart signals interest in joining a consortium of investors eyeing the Chinese-owned app, intensifying a high-stakes scramble to avert a shutdown of the platform used by 170 million Americans.
A Second Reprieve
Trump’s decision marks the second delay since he took office, following a January 20 executive order that staved off a ban set to hit the day before his inauguration. “My Administration has been working very hard on a Deal to SAVE TIKTOK, and we have made tremendous progress,” Trump wrote Friday. “The Deal requires more work to ensure all necessary approvals are signed, which is why I am signing an Executive Order to keep TikTok up and running for an additional 75 days.” The law, passed with bipartisan support in April 2024 under President Joe Biden, mandates that TikTok’s parent company, ByteDance, divest its U.S. operations or face a nationwide block over national security concerns tied to its Chinese ownership.
The initial deadline lapsed January 19, prompting a 14-hour TikTok blackout until Trump’s first intervention restored service. Now, with the April 5 deadline looming, Trump’s latest order aims to buy time for a sale, though legal questions swirl. The 2024 statute allows a 90-day extension only if “significant progress” toward a sale is evident—a threshold some experts, like Cornell’s Sarah Kreps, argue hasn’t been met without a named buyer. “Executive orders can’t rewrite laws,” Kreps told PBS, casting doubt on Trump’s authority to delay retroactively.
Walmart Enters the Fray
Walmart’s potential bid, reported Friday by WEIS Radio and ABC News, adds a new twist. Sources say the retailer, which partnered with Microsoft in a failed 2020 TikTok bid, was spurred to act after Amazon joined the race last week. “Walmart’s interest was triggered by Amazon throwing their hat into the ring,” a source close to the deal told ABC, noting the app’s 170 million U.S. users offer a goldmine for e-commerce expansion. Other contenders include Oracle, AppLovin, and a late-stage pitch from OnlyFans founder Tim Stokely, per industry chatter.
Trump hinted at leveraging his tariff strategy—54% on China, announced April 2—to pressure Beijing into approving a sale. “We hope to continue working in Good Faith with China, who I understand are not very happy about our Reciprocal Tariffs,” he wrote, echoing Thursday’s Air Force One remarks: “The tariffs give us great power to negotiate.” China’s foreign ministry, however, has signaled reluctance, with a Monday statement urging companies to “decide independently” on deals—a softening from last year’s outright rejection but far from a green light.
A Legal and Political Tightrope
The delay draws muted reaction so far. House Speaker Mike Johnson, who backed the original ban, told NBC’s Meet the Press he expects “a full sale” but hasn’t challenged Trump’s order. Legal scholars warn of challenges—Carl Tobias of the University of Richmond told The Washington Post that flouting a Supreme Court-upheld law risks undermining the rule of law. Yet, with 170 million users and TikTok’s CEO Shou Zi Chew at Trump’s inauguration, political will to enforce the ban seems shaky. Posts on X reflect the stakes: “Trump’s saving TikTok again—Walmart might just seal it,” one user wrote.
As markets reel from tariff fallout—S&P down 4.8% Thursday—Trump’s gambit ties TikTok’s fate to his broader trade war. Walmart’s bid, if formalized, could anchor a U.S.-led rescue, but with China’s approval uncertain and time ticking, the app’s future remains a high-wire act. For now, TikTok lives—thanks to Trump’s pen and a retail giant’s ambition.
