President Donald Trump is set to sign an executive order this week extending the deadline for TikTok to divest from its Chinese parent company ByteDance, marking the third delay in a long-running effort to force a U.S.-approved ownership structure for the popular social media platform.
The White House confirmed on Tuesday that the new 90-day extension will allow TikTok to continue operations in the United States while the administration works to finalize a deal that would address national security concerns tied to the app’s Chinese ownership.
“President Trump will sign an additional executive order this week to keep TikTok up and running,” said White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt. “As he has said many times, President Trump does not want TikTok to go dark.”
She added that the administration’s goal is to ensure TikTok remains accessible to American users while securing data privacy protections that satisfy U.S. laws.
Background and Current Deal Structure
In 2024, Congress passed legislation requiring ByteDance to sell TikTok or face a ban in the U.S., citing concerns that the app’s data collection could give the Chinese Communist Party access to personal and proprietary information of American citizens. Trump initially supported the legislation and attempted to enforce it with a January deadline, which was first extended to April, and then again to June 19.
Ahead of the April deadline, the White House had been closing in on a deal that would spin off TikTok into a new U.S.-based company, significantly reducing Chinese ownership. Under that proposal:
- U.S. investors, including Andreessen Horowitz and Blackstone, would have owned about 50% of TikTok’s American entity.
- Existing major investors like General Atlantic, Susquehanna, and KKR would have retained a combined 30% stake.
- Other potential investors were also considered, including media personality Tucker Carlson.
ByteDance had signaled that Beijing was initially open to approving the arrangement, according to sources familiar with the discussions. However, following Trump’s April 2 announcement of new tariffs on China, Chinese officials reportedly withdrew support for the deal, complicating negotiations.
The White House is now waiting for U.S.-China trade tensions to cool before making another push to finalize the divestment.
Trump’s Changing Stance on TikTok
Trump’s current approach contrasts sharply with his 2020 effort to ban TikTok, during which he signed an executive order labeling the platform a national security threat. At the time, he warned that TikTok’s data collection practices risked exposing Americans’ information to Chinese surveillance.
However, the president has softened his rhetoric since then, particularly after utilizing TikTok to reach younger voters during the 2024 presidential campaign.
“I have a little warm spot in my heart for TikTok,” Trump said in a May interview with NBC.
What’s Next
While the 90-day extension delays a potential U.S. ban, it also puts renewed pressure on ByteDance, investors, and negotiators to resolve the deal amid ongoing geopolitical tensions. With no clear timeline for when U.S.-China relations will stabilize, the path forward for TikTok in America remains uncertain.
In the meantime, TikTok remains operational, but under intense scrutiny — with the White House now openly balancing political, economic, and national security interests in its handling of one of the world’s most influential social platforms.
June 20, 2025 – Washington, D.C. — President Donald Trump is set to sign an executive order this week extending the deadline for TikTok to divest from its Chinese parent company ByteDance, marking the third delay in a long-running effort to force a U.S.-approved ownership structure for the popular social media platform.
The White House confirmed on Tuesday that the new 90-day extension will allow TikTok to continue operations in the United States while the administration works to finalize a deal that would address national security concerns tied to the app’s Chinese ownership.
“President Trump will sign an additional executive order this week to keep TikTok up and running,” said White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt. “As he has said many times, President Trump does not want TikTok to go dark.”
She added that the administration’s goal is to ensure TikTok remains accessible to American users while securing data privacy protections that satisfy U.S. laws.
Background and Current Deal Structure
In 2024, Congress passed legislation requiring ByteDance to sell TikTok or face a ban in the U.S., citing concerns that the app’s data collection could give the Chinese Communist Party access to personal and proprietary information of American citizens. Trump initially supported the legislation and attempted to enforce it with a January deadline, which was first extended to April, and then again to June 19.
Ahead of the April deadline, the White House had been closing in on a deal that would spin off TikTok into a new U.S.-based company, significantly reducing Chinese ownership. Under that proposal:
- U.S. investors, including Andreessen Horowitz and Blackstone, would have owned about 50% of TikTok’s American entity.
- Existing major investors like General Atlantic, Susquehanna, and KKR would have retained a combined 30% stake.
- Other potential investors were also considered, including media personality Tucker Carlson.
ByteDance had signaled that Beijing was initially open to approving the arrangement, according to sources familiar with the discussions. However, following Trump’s April 2 announcement of new tariffs on China, Chinese officials reportedly withdrew support for the deal, complicating negotiations.
The White House is now waiting for U.S.-China trade tensions to cool before making another push to finalize the divestment.
Trump’s Changing Stance on TikTok
Trump’s current approach contrasts sharply with his 2020 effort to ban TikTok, during which he signed an executive order labeling the platform a national security threat. At the time, he warned that TikTok’s data collection practices risked exposing Americans’ information to Chinese surveillance.
However, the president has softened his rhetoric since then, particularly after utilizing TikTok to reach younger voters during the 2024 presidential campaign.
“I have a little warm spot in my heart for TikTok,” Trump said in a May interview with NBC.
What’s Next
While the 90-day extension delays a potential U.S. ban, it also puts renewed pressure on ByteDance, investors, and negotiators to resolve the deal amid ongoing geopolitical tensions. With no clear timeline for when U.S.-China relations will stabilize, the path forward for TikTok in America remains uncertain.
In the meantime, TikTok remains operational, but under intense scrutiny — with the White House now openly balancing political, economic, and national security interests in its handling of one of the world’s most influential social platforms.
