President Donald Trump said Friday that he is signing an executive order to extend TikTok’s deadline to find a non-Chinese buyer by another 75 days, giving parent company ByteDance more time to make a deal for the popular social media app.
“My Administration has been working very hard on a Deal to SAVE TIKTOK, and we have made tremendous progress,” Trump wrote in a Truth Social post. “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.”
Trump initially pushed back the deadline for the sale on his first day back in office, delaying enforcement of the law for 75 days. There were reports of interest from investors and potential buyers — including Amazon — as the April 5 date loomed, and this week his administration made assurances that a deal would be struck by Saturday.
TikTok has more than 170 million users in the U.S., and many content creators have built their followings and their careers on the app. Lawmakers on both sides of the aisle have long expressed concern that the Chinese government could gain access to sensitive user data through TikTok and use the app to spread misinformation among Americans. TikTok has long denied that it is beholden to the Chinese government.
In his Truth Social announcement Friday, Trump linked the TikTok deal negotiations to the steep tariffs he imposed on China — tariffs he has suggested he would reduce if China approved the app’s sale.
“We hope to continue working in Good Faith with China, who I understand are not very happy about our Reciprocal Tariffs (Necessary for Fair and Balanced Trade between China and the U.S.A.!),” Trump wrote. “This proves that Tariffs are the most powerful Economic tool, and very important to our National Security! We do not want TikTok to ‘go dark.’” ByteDance has not issued any public statement on a potential divestment from TikTok. The company has said that it doesn’t plan to sell the app, and the Chinese government has indicated that it would block any sale that includes the app’s valuable algorithm. The Washington Post reported earlier this week that one option being weighed by the White House is to allow China continued ownership of the TikTok algorithm, but allow ByteDance to lease it to the app’s eventual owners.
Clarissa-Jan Lim is a breaking news reporter for MS NOW. She was previously a senior reporter and editor at BuzzFeed News.
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