Trump Extends TikTok Deadline by 75 Days as US Buyer Talks Continue
- Apr 6
- 3 min read
Updated: 6 days ago
On Friday, President Donald Trump decided to give TikTok another 75 days to find a buyer that isn’t from China, or face being banned in the US. “We’ve been working really hard on a deal to save TikTok, and we’re making great progress,” Trump shared on Truth Social, just hours before the deadline was supposed to expire. “The deal needs more time to make sure all the necessary approvals are signed, which is why I’m signing an Executive Order to keep TikTok going for an additional 75 days.” The app, which boasts over 170 million users in the US, is under threat from a law passed last year that orders TikTok to split from its Chinese parent company, ByteDance, or risk being banned in the country.
Deal Talks and Delays
Trump says his administration is close to sealing a deal that would involve several investors stepping in to keep TikTok running in the US, but he hasn’t offered much detail. The main push behind the potential ban stems from national security concerns and fears that TikTok is under Chinese government influence. The ban technically took effect on January 19, just a day before Trump’s second inauguration.
Right before that deadline, TikTok briefly shut down in the US and was pulled from app stores, which left millions of users frustrated. But Trump quickly stepped in, announced a 75-day delay, and the app returned to both Apple’s and Google’s stores in February. The new deadline is now June 19, giving ByteDance and potential buyers a bit more time to work out the details.
China, Investors, and Possible Outcomes
Trump has tried to downplay concerns about TikTok being at risk, saying he’s confident a deal will come through to keep the app’s US branch alive. He added that he’s open to continuing talks with China, which would have to approve any transaction involving ByteDance. He even floated the idea of using TikTok as part of a broader trade agreement with China, hoping to ease tensions and perhaps get some relief on tariffs.
“We do not want TikTok to ‘go dark,’” Trump said. “We look forward to working with TikTok and China to close the deal.” Reports say the deal in progress would involve current US investors in ByteDance keeping their stakes but rolling them over into a new independent TikTok company. New investors, like Oracle and Blackstone, would come in to reduce ByteDance’s share even further.
Unanswered Questions and New Bidders
Most of TikTok’s US data is already hosted on Oracle’s servers, and Oracle’s chairman Larry Ellison is a longtime Trump ally. ABC News reported Friday that Walmart is also in the mix. Walmart and Oracle had both been linked to TikTok back when Trump was in office the first time and had tried to push the app out of Chinese hands. Back then, Trump strongly supported a TikTok ban or forced sale. Now, he’s changed his tune and sees TikTok as something that may even help him with younger voters.
Still, questions remain—especially about what happens to TikTok’s algorithm. “TikTok without its algorithm is like Harry Potter without his wand — it’s simply not as powerful,” said Forrester Principal Analyst Kelsey Chickering. The New York Times mentioned the new TikTok company might license the algorithm from ByteDance, but that could clash with the point of the US law, which is based on fears that the algorithm could be misused by China.
Amazon has apparently made a last-minute offer to buy TikTok too. There are other wild cards in the mix, including “The People’s Bid for TikTok,” a project launched by billionaire Frank McCourt’s Project Liberty. Perplexity, an AI startup, has shown interest as well, and even YouTube star MrBeast and adult content platform OnlyFans have reportedly looked into possible bids.
