President Donald Trump has extended the deadline for American investors to acquire a stake in TikTok, allowing the Chinese-owned app to continue operating for another 75 days. The extension gives the White House more time to negotiate with the Chinese government to approve an agreement that would allow TikTok to stay in the U.S. The deal hit a snag when tensions between the two countries over tariffs led to a delay, according to White House officials.
A deal had been reached that would have created a new American company to run TikTok, with the majority of ownership by U.S. investors and ByteDance holding a minority stake. However, after Trump’s announcement of new tariffs, ByteDance signaled that China would not approve the deal until trade negotiations were concluded.
Trump shared his progress on social media, stating that more work was needed for approval. The U.S. had set a deadline for ByteDance to sell its stake by April 5, 2025, or face a potential ban. This is in response to national security concerns regarding possible Chinese government influence over TikTok’s 170 million American users.
While negotiations continue, the Trump administration is working with U.S. investors like Oracle and the Zoop partnership, who are among the potential buyers. The president has expressed hope that a deal will be finalized before the new deadline, despite the ongoing tariff dispute with China.
