Trump extends deadline to keep TikTok running in US
US President Donald Trump has granted TikTok a 75-day extension to comply with a law that requires the hugely popular video app to either sell its US assets or face a ban in the country.
"We do not want TikTok to 'go dark'. We look forward to working with TikTok and China to close the Deal," Trump wrote on Truth Social on Friday. The platform is currently owned by Chinese company ByteDance.
Trump's first extension took effect in January and was set to expire on Saturday.
The social media platform, which is used by 170 million in the US, initially went dark for several hours before Trump took office as the app prepared to shutter in the US after a law passed by Congress.
The Biden administration had argued that TikTok could be used by China as a tool for spying and political manipulation.
Congress passed a bipartisan law last year that gave ByteDance six months to sell its controlling stake in TikTok or see the app blocked in the US.
Opponents of a ban have cited freedom of speech as a reason for keeping the platform open.
The new extension comes as the Trump administration tries to broker a deal to bring the social media platform under American ownership, and keep the popular app running in the US.
"The Deal requires more work to ensure all necessary approvals are signed," Trump wrote.
The president also suggested the US could offer a deal where China agrees to approve a TikTok sale in exchange for relief from US tariffs on Chinese imports.
China now faces a 54% tariff on goods imported into the United States and has retaliated with 34% in counter tariffs.
Reports suggest several potential buyers for TikTok have cropped up in recent days.
Amazon has put in a last-minute offer to the White House to acquire the platform, according to the BBC's US partner CBS, though the firm has declined comment.
Several other potential buyers include billionaire Frank McCourt, together with Canadian businessman Kevin O'Leary. Alexis Ohanian, who co-founded Reddit, has said he has joined Mr McCourt's bid.
Computing giant Microsoft, private equity giant Blackstone, venture capital firm Andreessen Horowitz and search engine Perplexity AI are also reportedly in the running for a stake.
Trump has said his administration was in touch with four separate groups interested in a potential TikTok deal, though he has not named them.
Speaking on Thursday, Trump said "multiple investors" were closing in on a deal.
BBC
