Trump Delays Third Possible Sale of TikTok
Donald Trump's not done twisting the arm of TikTok yet. On Thursday, the then-US president signed an executive order extending the deadline for its Chinese parent company, ByteDance, to sell the video platform—initially set to be September 17, 2021—by a whopping four years, to September 17, 2025. Trump took to his Truth Social platform to announce the news, writing, "I just signed the order extending the deadline by 90 days (until September 17, 2025)."
A lot's happened since Trump's inauguration in January, when a US law mandated ByteDance to sell TikTok or face a ban. US authorities allege that the Chinese company spies on its users at the behest of Beijing via TikTok. But so far, no buyer's been found, and the deadline's been pushed back twice already. Trump initially suspended the ban of the app from US app stores for 75 days upon taking office, and later extended this period by another 75 days in early April.
TikTok's grateful for the extension, with a spokesperson thanking President Trump for his leadership and support in keeping the platform available to its 170 million US users. Karoline Leavitt, Trump's spokesperson, explained that the president "doesn't want TikTok to disappear," and that the goal of the sale is to ensure the platform can continue to exist while protecting US users' data.
There's political smoke behind the user-friendly fire, though. During his first term, which ended in early 2021, Trump advocated for a ban or sale of TikTok due to national security concerns. Now, in his 2024 presidential campaign, Trump seems to view the app's millions of young US users as an opportunity to win votes. He told NBC News last month, "TikTok has a little, warm place in my heart."
The ongoing extension leaves TikTok's US operations in a state of limbo. The delay's keeping national security concerns unresolved, and the platform's stuck in regulatory uncertainty. The extended deadline's also created more room for geopolitical trade disputes to complicate negotiations.
Sources: ntv.de, afp | Insights: This extension marks the third time the deadline has been pushed back by then-President Trump as ByteDance hasn't been able to complete a required sale to a US buyer due to US national security concerns. Negotiations have been complicated by tariffs the US imposed on China and Trump's use of the potential deal as leverage for tariff talks. The continued delay creates uncertainty for TikTok's US operations, affecting the platform's stability and long-term strategic planning in the US market.
- Despite the initial deadline set in January 2021 for ByteDance to sell TikTok or face a ban, the sale's deadline has already been pushed back twice by former President Trump, and it has now been extended for an additional four years, as indicated by his recent decrees.
- The ongoing politics surrounding the sale of TikTok to ensure data protection for US users has been a topic of policy-and-legislation discussions for quite some time, especially given Trump's advocacy for a ban or sale due to national security concerns during his first term and his continued interest in the app's millions of young users in his 2024 presidential campaign.
