Donald Trump has pushed the TikTok sale deadline back for a third time, giving China-based ByteDance another 90 days to sell its US assets or face a possible shutdown. According to Reuters, this decision came just one day before the June 19 deadline.
Speaking to reporters, Trump suggested China is delaying the process. “Probably have to get China approval but I think we’ll get it. I think President Xi will ultimately approve it,” he said. ByteDance has continued to push back against the sale, arguing that selling TikTok is not required to protect national security.
TikTok has faced legal pressure under a Supreme Court-backed bipartisan law that called for the platform’s ban in the US by January unless ByteDance sold the company to an approved buyer. Lawmakers warned that user data on TikTok could be accessible to the Chinese government, raising security concerns.
White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt said Trump plans to sign an executive order to keep TikTok available in the US through mid-September. “President Trump does not want TikTok to go dark,” Leavitt said, adding that the administration is focused on finalizing the sale within the next three months to protect American user data.
China’s trade strategy could complicate future talks. The Wall Street Journal reported that China recently set a six-month limit on rare earth sales to US manufacturers, adding pressure to the ongoing negotiations.
Article updated 4 months ago. Content is written and modified by multiple authors.
