Thought Leadership
Despite legal requirements, US President Donald Trump has decided to extend the deadline for the sale of TikTok’s US business by a further 90 days.
The Chinese company ByteDance, which owns the short video platform, has been given until mid-September to present a viable solution.
Legal pressure – but postponement again
ByteDance should have sold TikTok’s US subsidiary by January 19 or at least made demonstrable progress towards a sale – as stipulated by a law passed by the US Congress. However, Trump, who began his second term in office in January, suspended enforcement of the law and has already granted several postponements. After the last deadline on June 19, there will now be another extension.
Strategic interest in TikTok
Trump also justified his decision with political calculations: the platform had helped him with young voters in the 2024 election campaign. He therefore wanted to avoid a complete shutdown of TikTok in the US. His press spokeswoman Karoline Leavitt explained that the government is working to finalize the sale in order to “protect the data of American users and keep TikTok usable”.
A solution was already in the works in the spring, in which TikTok’s US business was to be transferred to a new, majority US company. However, negotiations stalled after China signaled its opposition to the plans – particularly in the context of new US punitive tariffs on Chinese products.
Political resistance
Not everyone shares Trump’s approach: Democratic senators question his legal authority to extend the deadline. They also criticize the fact that the planned structure of the deal may not meet the legal requirements.
The future of TikTok in the USA remains open. Although ByteDance was able to avert a further pause in operations, the uncertainty remains. The next three months will be decisive in determining whether a viable compromise can be found between Washington and Beijing – and whether TikTok will remain part of everyday digital culture in the US.
