Specifically, President Donald Trump this week made official an extension to the already contentious deadline for selling TikTok, the widely used video-sharing platform. What happens with the app going forward in the United States is less certain. The eighth extension allows ByteDance, TikTok’s Chinese parent company, another 90 days to adhere to a law enacted last year. This law puts immense pressure on them to sell the app in order to avoid an outright ban.
The U.S. law was passed at a similar time to growing fears about national security and user privacy. Lawmakers feared that TikTok or ByteDance could be compelled by the Chinese government to share sensitive data on American users. Under current law, unless TikTok divests, it will be banned from being able to operate in the U.S. market. This includes taking action quickly to prevent an abrupt halt. This is the third time the deadline to come into compliance has been extended, with continuing negotiations and political machinations underpinning the act.
On June 25, 2025, President Trump signed an executive order enforcing the law yet again, pushing back the enforcement date a second time. The extension provides additional time for negotiations between the federal government and TikTok’s parent company ByteDance. Now they’re negotiating to sell it off. “I know there will be a delay,” President Trump said at a recent coronavirus task force press conference.
Any American who uses TikTok expects the administration to follow through on its guarantee that they can keep using the app safely. White House spokesperson Karoline Leavitt told us that they were working “day and night” to get this deal done. This will reassure the American people that they can keep using TikTok, knowing their data is not in danger of being compromised.
So far, TikTok has lauded the help it has gotten from President Trump. The company stated, “We continue to work with Vice President Vance’s Office,” indicating collaboration with U.S. officials to navigate the complexities surrounding the sale process.
Any deal on selling TikTok or a partial sale-off needs the blessing of authorities in Beijing. This further complicates the situation. As negotiations progress, stakeholders remain cautious about the potential implications for both TikTok’s operations and user privacy.