Topline
President Donald Trump on Tuesday suggested he would “probably” extend a deadline for ByteDance, TikTok’s China-based owners, to divest the social media app before Thursday, marking what would be his third delay after an earlier deal fell through.
An order to keep TikTok operational in the U.S. for another 75 days was signed by Trump in April.
Trump told reporters on Air Force One he would “probably” extend a June 19 deadline for ByteDance to divest from TikTok or sell its assets to an American firm, adding, “Probably have to get China approval, but I think we’ll get it.”
Another extension would be Trump’s third delaying a forced sale or divestment of TikTok, following earlier orders pushing back the deadline on Jan. 20 and April 4, when a deal was reportedly in place for TikTok’s operations to be spun off into a new U.S.-based company before Trump’s “Liberation Day” tariffs derailed the talks.
Trump told NBC News last month he would “like to see [a deal] done” for TikTok, adding he had a “little sweet spot in my heart” for the social media platform and he would be “willing to give it [the deadline] an extension” if needed.
How long Trump would delay TikTok’s deadline. Both extensions in January and April stalled a ban on TikTok by 75 days.
Several companies have emerged as potential suitors for TikTok’s assets, including Amazon, Oracle and Microsoft. Amazon’s bid for TikTok would include the entire company, unnamed people familiar with the offer told the New York Times, though some parties involved in the talks “do not appear to be taking Amazon’s bid seriously.” AppLovin reportedly made an offer for TikTok and spoke with billionaire Steve Wynn about backing the deal, after the company told the Trump administration it could address national security concerns about the app if it held ownership. The White House previously spoke with Oracle about a deal that would give the company oversight of TikTok’s U.S. data, Politico reported. Trump has also named Microsoft as a possible buyer while saying he hoped there would be a “bidding war” for TikTok.
Legislation requiring TikTok to sell itself to an American company or be banned in the U.S. was signed under President Joe Biden last year. That law followed growing bipartisan national security concerns about the app in recent years, after reports claimed China relied on TikTok’s U.S. data to spy on Americans. Forbes previously reported the app spied on journalists, mishandled advertiser data and stored financial data of some creators in China, though ByteDance has denied claims user privacy was compromised. Trump issued an executive order in January shortly after he took office, though the app briefly went dark for U.S. users.