President Donald Trump announced Friday he is issuing an executive order that will allow TikTok to continue operating in the United States for an additional 75 days. The extension aims to provide his administration with more time to facilitate a deal that would bring the social media platform under American ownership.
Previously, Congress had mandated that TikTok be divested from its Chinese parent company by January 19 or face a ban in the U.S., citing national security concerns. Trump, however, acted independently to extend the deadline to this weekend as he actively pursued an agreement to maintain the platform's operation. He has been considering various offers from U.S. companies interested in acquiring a stake in the popular social media site. ByteDance, the Chinese company that owns TikTok and its proprietary algorithm, has maintained that the platform is not for sale.
"My Administration has been diligently working on a Deal to SAVE TIKTOK, and we have achieved significant progress," Trump stated on his social media platform. "The Deal necessitates further effort to ensure all required approvals are secured, which is why I am signing an Executive Order to keep TikTok operational for an additional 75 days."
Trump further commented, "We anticipate collaborating with TikTok and China to finalize the Deal."
TikTok, with headquarters in both Singapore and Los Angeles, has stated that user safety is a top priority. Meanwhile, China's Foreign Ministry has asserted that the Chinese government has never requested and will never ask companies to "collect or provide data, information, or intelligence" held in foreign countries.