Second Trump Extension Gives ByteDance Another 75 Days to Sell TikTok

TikTok users and the company itself will be pleased to hear that United States President Donald Trump has given TikTok parent company ByteDance a second extension to the deadline requiring the company to divest its U.S. operations.

CNBC reports that President Trump has given ByteDance a second extension to sell TikTok or face a ban in the United States. It is the latest development in an increasingly complicated web of legal maneuvers, both in Congress and in the White House.

As PetaPixel previously reported, TikTok has been under legal fire in the United States for some time now. American social media users even lost access to the app back in January before service was restored.

The battle with TikTok comes as multiple United States agencies and public officials believe the app poses a national security risk. They are concerned that the Chinese government is using it to harvest U.S. citizens’ data. Scrutiny has led to the decision that Chinese-based parent company ByteDance must divest or face a permanent ban.

As PetaPixel shared in January during the temporary ban, “August 2020 via Executive Order 13942 that information and communications technology and services, including TikTok, posed a threat to the national security of the United States and were a “national emergency.”

Meanwhile, for its part ByteDance has stated, “TikTok says it has “invested billions of dollars to keep U.S. data safe and our platform free from outside influence and manipulation.” While adding that the ban will “devastate seven million businesses and silence 170 million Americans.”

Despite this, the United States government has pressured the company more through executive orders. President Donald Trump even stated that he wants to broker the sale of the app, believing that the United States government should be granted a 50% stake in the company.

With the original deadline for ByteDance to sell TikTok as January 19, an executive order signed by Trump offered its first extension moving the deadline to April 5. As multiple U.S. companies were vying for a stake, the deal required more time.

Despite statements by Vice President JD Vance that the app may even sell before the April 5 deadline, a deal did not materialize.

Vance, instructed by Trump to broker the deal, said in an interview with NBC News aboard Air Force Two, “There will almost certainly be a high-level agreement that I think satisfies our national security concerns, allows there to be a distinct American TikTok enterprise.”

With no contract yet finalized, today Trump has extended the deadline for a second time, adding 75 days. Announcing on his Truth Social platform, the president said that the deal “requires more work to ensure all necessary approvals are signed.”

“ByteDance has been in discussion with the U.S. Government regarding a potential solution for TikTok U.S. An agreement has not been executed. There are key matters to be resolved. Any agreement will be subject to approval under Chinese law,” a ByteDance spokesperson said today.

Image credits: Header photo licensed via Depositphotos.