US President Donald Trump has signed a decree extending the sale of TikTok video service to an American owner. ByteDance, the app's parent company, received an additional 90 days to complete the transaction. The new deadline is set for September 17, 2025. Previously, the company has already received a deferral twice.
In the social network Truth Social, Trump announced the signing of the decree and confirmed that the purpose of the extension is to give time to complete the deal, which will allow the application to continue working in the country. According to White House Press Secretary Carolyn Levitt, the administration is committed to preserving user access to the platform while ensuring data security. Levitt stressed that Trump does not want a TikTok shutdown, and an extension is necessary to complete negotiations.
During a conversation with reporters on board Air Force One, Trump said that he expects Chinese President Xi Jinping to take a constructive position on the sale of the service. ByteDance, which owns TikTok, is registered in Beijing. Under current legislation, the company is required to sell the platform to an American investor in order to continue operating in the United States.
Attempts to conclude a deal were made earlier. In April, the previous extension expired without signing the contract. Potential buyers included Amazon, Reddit co-founder Alexis Ohanian in partnership with investor Frank McCourt, startup Perplexity AI, and former Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin. After the introduction of new tariffs on imports from China, negotiations were suspended.
TikTok says that the data of American users is not stored in China and does not pose a threat to national security. According to Pew Research, the number of supporters of banning TikTok in the United States is declining. The app is used by about 170 million people. After a brief shutdown of the platform at the beginning of the year, users switched to the Chinese RedNote app en masse, but after the resumption of TikTok, activity on RedNote decreased.
The U.S. Supreme Court has upheld a law passed under the Biden administration that bans TikTok without changing ownership. ByteDance previously stated that it does not plan to sell the service, and does not comment on its current plans. TikTok has yet to make any official announcements regarding the latest extension.
