President Donald Trump will sign an executive order this week once again delaying a ban on TikTok‘s operations on U.S. soil.
Former President Joe Biden signed a bill into law last year that gave TikTok’s parent company, ByteDance, until Jan. 19 of this year to divest to a U.S. ownership or cease operating in the U.S.
Trump originally supported banning the Chinese-owned app during his first term in office, but flipped on the matter during the 2024 campaign after witnessing his surprising popularity on the app, especially among young voters.
“As he has said many times, President Trump does not want TikTok to go dark,” White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt told the Washington Examiner in a statement. “This extension will last 90 days, which the Administration will spend working to 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.”
Trump hinted to reporters while traveling back to Washington, D.C., early Tuesday morning that he intended to extend the deadline again to broker a TikTok sale.
KRISTI NOEM TRANSPORTED TO DC HOSPITAL BY AMBULANCE
Vice President JD Vance is leading the Trump administration’s efforts to create a new U.S. ownership group.
The Washington Examiner previously reported that Vance was nearing an agreement in April that Washington and Beijing initially approved of. However, China walked away from the deal after Trump announced his “Liberation Day” tariffs. White House officials indicated they believe TikTok will play a critical role in an eventual bilateral trade deal with China.
