US President Donald Trump has granted TikTok a second 75-day extension to comply with a congressional mandate that forces the video-sharing app to sell its US operations or face a nationwide ban.
The move signals the administration’s continued effort to broker an agreement that would allow the platform — owned by Beijing-based ByteDance — to remain operational for its 170 million US users.
“We do not want TikTok to ‘go dark’,” Trump posted on Truth Social, adding, “We look forward to working with TikTok and China to close the Deal.”
The extension pushes back the deadline initially set to expire last Saturday, after a previous delay granted when Trump reentered office in January. Under a law passed last year with bipartisan support, ByteDance was given six months to divest its US interests or see TikTok banned.
ByteDance said on Friday that talks with the administration remain ongoing, but “an agreement has not been executed.” The company stressed that any deal would also require Beijing’s sign-off, as “key matters” still need to be resolved under Chinese law.
Former President Joe Biden’s administration had similarly expressed national security concerns over TikTok, warning it could serve as a vehicle for Chinese government surveillance and political influence. Opposers of a ban, however, continue to argue that banning the app would infringe on free speech.
While Trump’s team races to secure a US-based buyer, tensions with China have complicated negotiations. A deal was reportedly close to being finalised on Wednesday, but it collapsed after Trump announced sweeping global tariffs, including those on China, later that same day.
Still, buyer interest in TikTok remains strong. Retail giant Amazon has reportedly submitted a last-minute bid, according to CBS. Other contenders include billionaire Frank McCourt and Canadian businessman Kevin O’Leary, who are joined by Reddit co-founder Alexis Ohanian. Microsoft, Blackstone, Andreessen Horowitz, and AI search startup Perplexity AI have also expressed interest.
President Trump has said his administration is in discussions with four separate groups, though he has not named them. Vice-President JD Vance is leading the negotiations.
Trump also floated the idea of using a TikTok sale as leverage in broader trade negotiations. “We hope to continue working in Good Faith with China, who I understand are not very happy about our Reciprocal Tariffs,” he said, calling the economic measures “the most powerful economic tool, and very important to our national security.”
With the clock reset once more, the fate of TikTok in the US remains uncertain — balancing on the edge of a high-stakes tech deal shadowed by geopolitics.
