President Donald Trump indicated on Tuesday that he is likely to extend the deadline for TikTok’s Chinese owner to sell the popular video-sharing app. In early April, Trump had signed an order to keep TikTok operational for an additional 75 days while negotiations for a deal to transfer ownership to American companies were paused.
When asked by reporters on Air Force One about the potential extension of the deadline, Trump replied, “Probably yeah, yeah.” He also expressed optimism that Chinese President Xi Jinping would eventually approve a deal to divest TikTok’s U.S. operations.
In a recent interview with NBC, Trump mentioned that he is open to pushing back the deadline if necessary. If he moves forward with this extension, it would mark the third time Trump has done so. The initial extension was made through an executive order on January 20, his first day in office, after a temporary shutdown of the platform due to a ban upheld by the U.S. Supreme Court. The second extension came in April when the White House believed they were close to a deal that fell through after China backed out following tariffs proposed by Trump.
As negotiations for TikTok continue, it remains uncertain how many more extensions Trump may grant. The app, owned by China’s ByteDance, has gained significant traction, with Trump amassing over 15 million followers on TikTok since joining the platform last year. He has credited TikTok with helping him connect with younger voters, stating he has a “warm spot for TikTok.”
