Trump to extend TikTok deadline again, giving ByteDance 90 days to find non-Chinese buyer
The US president ‘does not want TikTok to go dark’, the White House says, as Trump prepares to put off a threatened ban for the third time
US President Donald Trump will this week give TikTok a fresh 90-day extension to find a non-Chinese buyer, the White House said on Tuesday, the third time he has put off a threatened ban on the popular app.
“President Trump will sign an additional Executive Order this week to keep TikTok up and running. As he has said many times, President Trump does not want TikTok to go dark,” Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt said 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 had suggested earlier on Tuesday that he was likely to extend the deadline for TikTok’s Chinese owner ByteDance to divest the popular video-sharing app.
“Probably yeah, yeah,” he responded when asked by reporters on Air Force One whether the deadline would be extended again.
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TikTok is back online as Donald Trump vows executive order to temporarily block ban
Trump also said he thinks China’s President Xi Jinping would “ultimately approve” a deal to divest TikTok’s business in the United States.