Image Credit: lechenie-narkomanii on Pixabay
In a move that has almost become tradition, the Trump administration has once again hit pause on the TikTok ban, leaving the app’s fate mired in uncertainty.
The TikTok ban saga continues to drag on, largely thanks to trade tensions between the U.S. and China. Now, another delay seems likely, even as the app’s future remains unresolved.
As The Wall Street Journal has learned, President Trump is planning on pushing back the ban date — for the third time. Allegedly, talks were underway for a sale, but the ongoing trade war between the U.S. and China that Trump lit off in April has caused the deal to be pushed onto the back burner.
Maybe the only surprising thing about it all is that the delay comes somewhat before the eleventh hour. Previously, Trump had a habit of delaying bans very close to when they were to go into effect — or somewhat after.
The first time Trump rolled back the ban was on January 20, the day he took office for his second term. The ban went into effect two days prior under the Biden Administration.
At that point, he gave TikTok two and a half months to sell to an American company or face a nationwide ban. The ban was initially set to go into effect on April 5, but the president wound up delaying it on April 4.
The executive order gave TikTok another 75-day extension, which would have given the company until June 18 to divest or face a ban. Just under two weeks before the ban is the longest gap yet between the date of extension and the deadline.
ByteDance, the company that owns TikTok, has said that there are currently no agreements in place. It pointed out that any agreement would need approval under Chinese law.
A brief history lesson
TikTok’s fate has been murky since mid-2020, when the Trump administration had planned to ban the app unless the company divested to a US buyer.
For nearly all of the Biden administration, it seemed as though the ban was off the table. Then, in April 2024, Biden signed a law requiring ByteDance to divest TikTok ownership to a US buyer within nine months.
Days before the ban was set to take effect, then President-Elect Trump promised Americans TikTok would continue operating in the US.
Trump has seemingly had a change of heart on TikTok. He staunchly disliked it in his first term and advocated for a ban. Since then, he’s come to see it as a “crucial tool” for reaching younger voters.
“I’d like to save TikTok,” Trump told reporters in late May. “I mean, TikTok was very good to me.”
What became of TikTok America
For a while, Trump thought he had found an ideal middle ground.
The plan would have involved creating a new company, called “TikTok America” and divvy ownership up in a way that favors US investors. TikTok America would be 50% owned by new US investors, 30% by existing investors, and 19.9% by ByteDance.
The Chinese government doesn’t appear to be particularly fond of that plan. And, that plan hasn’t gained much steam in the US.
It remains to be seen whether or not perpetual extensions is the path the Trump Administration intends to follow going forward. And, the legality of the extensions is murky — but ultimately hasn’t been challenged effectively.
