- Trump extended TikTok’s U.S. ban deadline by 75 days as ByteDance works on a potential sale.
- China responded to recent U.S. tariffs with a 34% levy on all American imports, escalating trade tensions.
- Multiple bidders, including Amazon and former Trump officials, are lining up to buy TikTok from ByteDance.
In a move that pulls TikTok back from the edge—again—President Donald Trump said Friday he’s giving ByteDance an extra 75 days to finalize a deal that would move the popular app into non-Chinese hands.
Trump’s executive order, which was expected to enforce the April 5 deadline, now hits pause on that threat, buying more time for the app’s future in the U.S. to shake out.
“My Administration has been working very hard on a Deal to SAVE TIKTOK,” Trump posted on Truth Social. “We have made tremendous progress… but more work is needed to secure all the right approvals.”
ByteDance hasn’t said much publicly. In fact, they’ve been dead silent on whether they’re actually negotiating with anyone—or even willing to sell at all. The company had previously claimed it wasn’t planning to offload TikTok.
The original law, passed back in 2024, required ByteDance to divest the app or face a ban. Trump had already kicked the can once—on Day One of his term—and now he’s kicking it again.
“We do not want TikTok to ‘go dark,’” he added in the same post.
He also used the moment to plug his tariff push, which has ruffled more than a few feathers internationally. “This proves that Tariffs are the most powerful Economic tool,” Trump wrote, adding that they’re “very important to our National Security.”
Trade War Escalates
Not coincidentally, China hit back Friday, announcing a 34% tariff on all U.S. imports. This, of course, is in direct response to the aggressive reciprocal tariff package Trump unveiled earlier in the week.
TikTok’s fate has been hanging in the balance for a while now. Last year, under President Biden, lawmakers passed a bipartisan bill targeting the app, citing national security concerns—mainly about how Chinese officials might get access to American users’ data.
The Supreme Court backed the ban just before Biden left office, but neither he nor Trump seemed too eager to enforce it. TikTok actually went offline in the U.S. for a brief spell right before Trump’s inauguration, but service resumed quickly after the new administration signaled they were open to a compromise.
A Crowd of Bidders Lining Up
Trump met with Vice President JD Vance and top advisers on Wednesday to go over final bids for the app. There are, reportedly, quite a few suitors.
Among them? Reddit co-founder Alexis Ohanian, who teamed up with billionaire investor Frank McCourt; Perplexity AI, a rising star in the search engine space; and Steven Mnuchin—yes, the former Trump Treasury Secretary—who’s apparently also in the mix.
Even Amazon and mobile app firm AppLovin are said to be sniffing around the deal, though it’s unclear how serious those bids are just yet.
TikTok, which boasts over 170 million users in the U.S. alone, is still in limbo—but at least it’s got 75 more days to breathe.
