President Donald Trump on Friday signed an executive order extending the deadline for ByteDance to sell TikTok's U.S. operations by 75 days, a move that forestalls a potential shutdown of the app while escalating tensions with China over trade and national security.
Trump announced the extension hours after China imposed a 34% tariff on all U.S. goods in retaliation for his newly implemented reciprocal tariff policy, which effectively raised total duties on Chinese imports to 54%. Despite the mounting economic standoff, Trump said talks with Beijing on TikTok were progressing.
"My Administration has been working very hard on a Deal to SAVE TIKTOK, and we have made tremendous progress," Trump wrote on Truth Social. "The Deal requires more work to ensure all necessary approvals are signed, which is why I am signing an Executive Order to keep TikTok up and running for an additional 75 days."
Trump said General Secretary To Lam of the Communist Party of Vietnam also spoke with him about working constructively on regional trade and added, "We do not want TikTok to 'go dark.' We look forward to working with TikTok and China to close the Deal."
Under a law signed by former President Joe Biden in 2024, ByteDance was required to divest TikTok's U.S. operations by January 19 or face a ban enforced through restrictions on internet service providers and app store platforms. Trump had already delayed that deadline once, and the latest extension pushes the new compliance date into mid-June.
Multiple companies have expressed interest in acquiring TikTok's American business. Among them are Oracle, AppLovin, and Amazon, which entered the bidding process this week. A private equity consortium including Andreessen Horowitz and Blackstone is also exploring a deal. CNBC reported that a structure under consideration would give U.S. investors majority control, with ByteDance retaining a reduced stake.
Reddit co-founder Alexis Ohanian joined billionaire Frank McCourt's Project Liberty bid, while artificial intelligence startup Perplexity AI proposed a merger. Former Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin is also backing a separate bid.
TikTok, which has more than 170 million U.S. users, was briefly removed from Apple and Google's app stores in February as the initial deadline approached. The app went dark temporarily before Trump signed an order delaying enforcement, allowing TikTok to resume service.
ByteDance has not publicly confirmed its intent to sell or named any preferred buyer. The Chinese government would need to approve any deal involving the transfer of algorithmic technology or user data, adding a layer of complexity to ongoing negotiations.
Vice President JD Vance told NBC News in March that "there will almost certainly be a high-level agreement that I think satisfies our national security concerns," adding that it would allow for "a distinct American TikTok enterprise."
