Mon 05 May 2025:
US President Donald Trump said he will extend the deadline for China-based ByteDance to sell the popular video-sharing app TikTok’s US assets if no agreement has been reached by June 19.
“I’d like to see it done. I have a little sweet spot in my heart because, as you know, I won young people by 36 points. That’s a lot,” Trump told NBC News in an interview that aired Sunday.
“I have a little warm spot in my heart for TikTok,” he added.
TikTok was shut down in the US on Jan. 19 in accordance with a law that forced the service offline if it was not sold to an American company. But just 12 hours later, access was restored.
Trump signed an executive order on his first day in office that included a 75-day suspension of the ban and extended the period for another 75 days on April 4.
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In 2020, President Trump tried to ban TikTok, citing national security risks due to its Chinese owner, ByteDance, potentially sharing user data with Beijing.
He issued an executive order to force ByteDance to sell TikTok’s U.S. operations or face a ban, sparking lawsuits from TikTok and users claiming free speech violations. Courts blocked the ban, and in 2021, President Biden revoked Trump’s order, opting for a security review instead. Fast-forward to 2024, Congress passed a law mandating ByteDance divest TikTok or face a ban, which Biden signed.
The Supreme Court upheld it, but TikTok went offline briefly in January 2025. Trump, now president again, reversed his stance, issuing executive orders to delay the ban for 75 days, then another 75, to negotiate a U.S. ownership deal, citing TikTok’s 170 million American users and his own popularity on the app.
Critics argue this flip-flop reflects political motives, donor influence, or tariff negotiations with China, while supporters see it as pragmatic. The saga continues with no final deal yet.
SOURCE: INDEPENDENT PRESS AND NEWS AGENCIES
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