TikTok will live on for at least another three months in the United States, as President Donald Trump is poised to extend a sale or ban deadline for the third time since taking office this year. "President Trump will sign an additional Executive Order this week to keep TikTok up and running," White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt said on Tuesday. The popular video sharing app was supposed to be banned in the US after its Chinese owner, ByteDance, refused to sell it to a US buyer by a January deadline. TikTok and ByteDance did not immediately respond to requests for comment from the BBC. Leavitt said the 90-day extension would "ensure this deal is closed so that the American people can continue to use TikTok with the assurance that their data is safe and secure." Before Leavitt's announcement, Trumptold the BBCthat he would "probably" extend the TikTok. "We'll probably have to get China approval," Trump said. "I think we'll get it. I think President Xi will ultimately approve it." When asked if he has the legal basis to extend the deadline, he responded: "We do." Trump's extension is at odds with the will of Congress, which passed the sale-or-ban measure last year. His predecessor, former President Joe Biden, immediately signed the bill into law. The law was aimed to address concerns that TikTok, which has 170 million American users, could be used by China as a tool for spying and political manipulation. The Supreme Court agreed with a lower court and upheld the legislation in January just before Trump was set to take office. The platform briefly went dark for a few hours during the weekend before Trump's inauguration. TikTok praised Trump for saving the platform after it became available again. Trump's unilateral deadline extensions have led some analysts to dismiss the notion that a ban might ever take place during his time in office. "What ban? There is nothing 'looming' about the potential TikTok ban anymore," said Forrester principal analyst Kelsey Chickering. "TikTok's behaviour also indicates they're confident in their future, as they rolled out new AI video tools at Cannes this week." "Smaller players, like Snap, will try to steal share during this "uncertain time," but they will not succeed because this next round for TikTok isn't uncertain at all," Ms Chickering added. The Trump administration said in April that the US and China had neared a deal that would have placed majority control of TikTok's US operations under American ownership. That deal has yet to materialise. "There are key matters to be resolved," a ByteDance spokesperson said at the time. "Any agreement will be subject to approval under Chinese law." Trump has said he would be open to seeing it sold to cloud computing giant Oracle, whose co-founder Larry Ellison is a long-time ally of Trump's. Billionaire Frank McCourt, Canadian businessman Kevin O'Leary, and Reddit co-founder Alexis Ohanian are part of another team bidding for the platform. And the biggest YouTuber in the world Jimmy Donaldson - AKA MrBeast - has said he's also interested in buying TikTok as part of a different investor group. Sign up for our Tech Decoded newsletterto follow the world's top tech stories and trends.Outside the UK? Sign up here.
Trump to extend US TikTok ban deadline, White House says
TruthLens AI Suggested Headline:
"Trump Extends TikTok Sale or Ban Deadline in the U.S. for Additional 90 Days"
Bbc News
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TruthLens AI Summary
The United States will continue to allow the popular video-sharing app TikTok to operate for at least another three months as President Donald Trump prepares to extend the deadline for a potential sale or ban for the third time since he took office. White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt confirmed that Trump will sign an Executive Order this week to keep TikTok running, despite its Chinese parent company, ByteDance, failing to sell the app to a U.S. buyer by the previously established January deadline. The extension is intended to provide a sense of security for the American users of TikTok, which boasts 170 million users in the U.S., amid concerns that the app could be misused by China for espionage or political manipulation. Leavitt emphasized that the 90-day extension aims to ensure that a deal is finalized, thereby allowing users to continue using TikTok while their data security is prioritized.
In addition to the uncertainty surrounding the ban or sale, Trump's decision to extend the deadline has raised questions regarding its alignment with congressional intent. Congress previously passed legislation that mandated action on the sale or ban of TikTok, which was signed into law by former President Joe Biden. Despite this, Trump's administration seems to be moving forward with unilateral extensions, leading analysts to speculate that a ban may not materialize during his presidency. Some industry experts have noted TikTok's recent initiatives, such as the rollout of new AI video tools, suggesting that the platform is confident about its future. Meanwhile, discussions about potential buyers continue, with notable figures including cloud computing giant Oracle and various investors expressing interest in acquiring TikTok. However, any sale would still require approval under Chinese law, complicating the matter further.
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