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US President extends TikTok deadline for third time

U.S. President Donald Trump is set to issue another 90-day extension this week for TikTok to find a buyer outside China, according to the White House—marking the third time he has postponed…

By Modupeola Showunmi 3 min Jun 18, 2025

U.S. President Donald Trump is set to issue another 90-day extension this week for TikTok to find a buyer outside China, according to the White House—marking the third time he has postponed a possible ban on the app over national security concerns.

A federal law mandating the sale or shutdown of TikTok was scheduled to take effect just one day before Trump’s January inauguration.

“President Trump will sign a new Executive Order this week to keep TikTok operational,” said Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt. “As he’s repeatedly stated, the president doesn’t want TikTok shut down.” She added that the additional 90 days will give the administration time to finalize a deal that protects American users’ data.

Trump, who leveraged social media heavily in his 2024 re-election campaign, has expressed a personal liking for TikTok. “I’ve got a soft spot for TikTok,” he told NBC News in May, adding he’d be open to granting more time if needed.

At the time, Trump said a group of potential buyers was prepared to pay TikTok’s Chinese parent company, ByteDance, a “substantial” sum for its U.S. operations. Despite national security concerns and suspicions over Chinese government influence, Trump has often played down the threat, signaling confidence that a buyer will emerge.

“Unless TikTok lands on his bad side, the app is likely safe for now,” said independent analyst Rob Enderle.

Although Trump previously backed banning or forcing a sale of TikTok, he changed course, believing the app helped him win over younger voters during the 2024 election. The ban was originally enacted on January 19, a day before Trump’s swearing-in, but ByteDance made no move to sell by then.

Shweta Singh, an assistant professor at the University of Warwick, noted that TikTok has become a focal point in the escalating digital standoff between the U.S. and China. “It symbolizes the ongoing tech rivalry—a new front in the digital Cold War,” she said.

Trump initially delayed the ban by 75 days upon taking office, then extended it again until June 19.

The former president has blamed the stalled deal on broader trade tensions with China, particularly disputes over tariffs. ByteDance has acknowledged talks with the U.S. government, but said several key issues still need to be resolved and any deal must also receive approval under Chinese law.

Reportedly, one option involves current American investors in ByteDance converting their shares into a new, independent global TikTok company. Additional U.S. investors—such as Oracle and Blackstone—may be brought in to dilute ByteDance’s ownership.

Oracle, whose chairman Larry Ellison is a close Trump ally, already handles much of TikTok’s U.S. data storage. However, questions remain—especially around whether TikTok’s powerful recommendation algorithm would be part of the deal.

“Taking away TikTok’s algorithm is like taking Harry Potter’s wand—it loses its magic,” said Kelsey Chickering, Principal Analyst at Forrester.

Despite the uncertainty, TikTok appears to be pressing ahead with its operations. Just this week, it launched “Symphony,” a new set of AI-powered advertising tools that convert text and images into short-form videos for the platform.

US President extends TikTok deadline for third time

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