Trump grants 90-day extension for TikTok sale to US buyer

President Donald Trump has granted a 90-day extension to TikTok’s parent company, ByteDance, to finalize the sale of the popular short-form video app to an American buyer, allowing the platform to continue operating in the United States.

Trump signed the executive order on Thursday, marking the third extension of the deadline for ByteDance to divest its ownership of TikTok amid ongoing national security concerns.

“I’ve just signed the Executive Order extending the Deadline for the TikTok closing for 90 days (September 17, 2025). Thank you for your attention to this matter!” Trump announced on Truth Social.

In response, TikTok issued a statement expressing appreciation for the administration’s approach: “We are grateful for President Trump’s leadership and support in ensuring TikTok remains available to more than 170 million American users and 7.5 million U.S. businesses that depend on the platform. We continue to engage with Vice President JD Vance’s Office to complete this process.”

While aboard Air Force One on Wednesday, President Trump suggested that Chinese President Xi Jinping would likely approve a sale should a suitable buyer come forward. ByteDance, TikTok’s parent company, is headquartered in Beijing.

White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt reiterated that the administration’s goal is to maintain TikTok’s availability for American users. “As President Trump has stated, he does not want TikTok to go dark. This 90-day extension provides time to finalize a deal that ensures American data is protected,” she said.

TikTok, boasting 170 million users in the U.S., has remained a contentious topic in American politics. Support for banning the app has reportedly declined, according to recent Pew Research Center findings.

The initial legislation to ban TikTok was passed during the Biden administration over alleged national security risks, leading to a brief suspension of the app in the U.S. prior to Trump’s inauguration earlier this year. However, Trump’s decision to keep the platform operational prompted its swift return.

TikTok has consistently denied posing any threat to U.S. national security, emphasizing that American user data is not stored in China. Following the temporary ban last year, many U.S. users had migrated to RedNote, another Chinese social media platform. Since the extension, user activity has shifted back to TikTok, with RedNote usage reportedly declining.