President Donald Trump is preparing to extend TikTok’s ability to operate in the United States for a third time, despite bipartisan legislation requiring the popular social media platform to divest from its Chinese parent company ByteDance or face a nationwide ban, according to a report from the New York Post.
The latest delay comes just ahead of the current enforcement deadline of June 19, which was set by an executive order Trump signed in April. The new extension — expected within days — would once again push off a ban that Congress, the previous administration, and the U.S. Supreme Court have all greenlit.
“The president has said he’s willing to [delay enforcement] if it has to happen,” a source familiar with the matter told On the Money. “China just wants to hold this up as leverage in the trade talks.”
The delay coincides with high-stakes trade negotiations between Washington and Beijing, as China struggles under the weight of Trump’s tariffs on key industries. According to administration insiders, the TikTok issue has become a bargaining chip in those talks — a form of leverage that Beijing is eager to retain.
Although Trump was once a fierce critic of TikTok, accusing it of spying on Americans and funneling data to the Chinese Communist Party, his stance has shifted notably in recent months. He now acknowledges the platform’s cultural and political influence — and has even credited TikTok with helping boost youth engagement during his 2024 reelection campaign.
“We’ll probably have to get China’s approval. China’s never easy,” Trump said last week. “I’d like to save TikTok. I mean, TikTok was very good to me.”
TikTok’s future in the U.S. has been uncertain since April 2024, when the House of Representatives passed a bill 360-58 demanding that ByteDance either sell TikTok to a U.S.-approved buyer or see it banned nationwide. Then-President Joe Biden signed the bill into law shortly afterward, and in January 2025, the U.S. Supreme Court upheld the measure as constitutional.
Trump’s DOJ has repeatedly issued temporary extensions, citing the difficulty in finding a suitable buyer for TikTok that both meets national security standards and satisfies Beijing’s strict export controls over its algorithm.
Despite ongoing interest from a handful of U.S.-based tech firms and investors, no buyer has been able to finalize a deal for TikTok. China has signaled it would block any forced divestment of TikTok’s core algorithm, a move that effectively kneecaps the app’s valuation and appeal to potential American acquirers.
National security hawks warn that continued delays not only undermine the law but also leave Americans vulnerable to potential surveillance and propaganda via a Chinese-controlled platform.
“This isn’t about dance videos,” one congressional aide said. “It’s about a platform with the ability to shape public opinion, access biometric data, and influence elections — all while under the control of a hostile foreign power.”
The White House has not officially announced the next extension, but sources say the order could come as early as next week. If signed, it would be the third delay in enforcing the TikTok divest-or-ban law, with no clear resolution in sight.
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