President Donald Trump has granted another 90-day extension for TikTok’s parent company, ByteDance, to sell the popular video-sharing app to a U.S.-based buyer.
On Thursday, Trump signed a new executive order allowing ByteDance additional time to finalize a deal, marking the third such extension aimed at keeping the app operational in the United States.
“I’ve just signed the Executive Order extending the Deadline for the TikTok closing for 90 days (September 17, 2025). Thank you for your attention to this matter!” Trump announced on Truth Social.
Speaking aboard Air Force One on Wednesday, Trump expressed optimism about Chinese President Xi Jinping’s willingness to approve a sale. He noted that any buyer would likely need Xi’s consent for the deal to proceed, given ByteDance is headquartered in Beijing.
White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt said the administration is focused on ensuring continued access to TikTok for Americans.
“As he has said many times, President Trump does not want TikTok to go dark. This extension will last 90 days, which the Administration will spend working to ensure this deal is closed so that the American people can continue to use TikTok with the assurance that their data is safe and secure,” Leavitt said in a statement.
TikTok currently boasts 170 million users in the U.S., and public support for a ban has waned, according to Pew Research. The app was initially banned under the Biden administration due to national security concerns, leading to a brief shutdown ahead of Trump’s return to office earlier this year.
Once Trump indicated he intended to allow the app to continue operating, TikTok resumed service in the U.S.
TikTok has consistently denied posing any national security risk, asserting that American user data is not stored in China. After last year’s ban, some users migrated to the Chinese app RedNote, but following Trump’s extension, many have returned to TikTok, and RedNote usage has since declined.
After taking office, Trump issued an initial 75-day deadline for ByteDance to sell TikTok, which expired on April 5. Several suitors emerged ahead of that deadline, including Amazon, which submitted a last-minute bid, and a group led by Reddit co-founder Alexis Ohanian and billionaire Frank McCourt. Other interested parties included AI startup Perplexity AI and former Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin.
Despite expectations from top Trump officials that a deal would be reached, negotiations stalled following the imposition of sweeping tariffs on China. With no agreement in place, Trump granted another 90-day reprieve, which was set to expire Thursday.
Under current U.S. law, ByteDance must divest TikTok to an American entity. The company has previously stated it would not sell the app and has remained silent on whether it plans to pursue a deal.
A TikTok spokesperson did not immediately respond to requests for comment.
Trump’s current stance on TikTok marks a reversal from his first term, when he signed an executive order banning the platform. That order was later overturned in court.
The U.S. Supreme Court has since upheld the Biden-era legislation requiring TikTok to be sold to a U.S.-based buyer or face a permanent ban.
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