On Thursday, President Donald Trump declared that TikTok, a social media site, had been given an additional ninety days to find a non-Chinese buyer or face a ban in the US.
Trump delayed the ban for the third time by posting on his Truth Social platform, “I just signed the Executive Order extending the deadline for the TikTok closing for 90 days (September 17, 2025).” This is not the first time Trump will extend the ban on social media sites in the US. He has once banned it however this is the third time in his present administration banning social media.
The day before Trump’s January inauguration, a federal legislation was scheduled to go into effect mandating TikTok’s sale or prohibition on national security grounds.
The Republican has already stated that he likes the video-sharing app, and his 2024 campaign was heavily dependent on social media.
In an interview with NBC News in early May, Trump stated, “I have a little warm spot in my heart for TikTok.” “I would be willing to grant it an extension if it is necessary.”
Same day on Thursday, TikTok applauded Trump’s choice. “We appreciate President Trump’s guidance and assistance in assuring that TikTok remains accessible to over 170 million Americans,” the platform stated in a statement.
In May, Trump stated that a group of buyers was prepared to pay “a lot of money” to ByteDance, the owner of TikTok, for the US operations of the viral video-clip-sharing platform.
Trump has consistently denied that TikTok is in danger, claiming that he is still optimistic about finding a buyer for the US side of the app.
On Monday, the White House declared that Trump will offer another lifeline at the immensely popular video-sharing app, which has about two billion users worldwide.
In a statement, the government stated that it will endeavour to “close this deal so that the American people can continue to use TikTok with the assurance that their data is safe and secure” during this new grace period.
According to independent analyst Rob Enderle, the president is “just not motivated to do anything about TikTok.” “TikTok is probably going to be in pretty good shape unless they get on his bad side.”
After realizing that his program helped him win over young voters in the November election, Trump, who had long advocated for a ban or divestment, changed his mind and swore to defend it.
The ban went into force on January 19, one day before Trump’s inauguration, and was prompted by national security concerns and the perception in Washington that TikTok is under Chinese influence. ByteDance had not looked for a suitor.
“It has become a flashpoint in the new Cold War for digital control; a symbol of the US-China tech rivalry,” according to Shweta Singh, an assistant professor of information systems at Warwick Business School in Britain.
When the president first took office, he promised a 75-day pause in the prohibition. The deadline was postponed to June 19 by a second extension. The new due date is September 17.
In April, Trump said that if it weren’t for a disagreement over his tariffs on Beijing, China would have accepted a deal on the sale of TikTok.
Talks with the US government have been confirmed by ByteDance, which stated that important issues needed to be settled and that any agreement would be “subject to approval under Chinese law.”
According to reports, one potential option is for ByteDance’s current US investors to transfer their ownership into a new, independent, international TikTok business.
To lessen ByteDance’s stake in the new TikTok, more US investors would be added, such as Oracle and the private equity company Blackstone.
Oracle computers currently host a large number of TikTok’s US operations, and Larry Ellison, the company’s chairman, has long been a Trump supporter.
There is some uncertainty, especially regarding what will happen to TikTok’s valuable algorithm.
According to Kelsey Chickering, a principal analyst at Forrester, “TikTok without its algorithm is like Harry Potter without his wand — it’s simply not as powerful.”
TikTok has carried on as usual in spite of the chaos.
On Monday, the platform unveiled its new “Symphony” suite of generative AI tools, which allow advertisers to create short videos from words or images.
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