President Donald Trump has given TikTok another lifeline, pushing back the deadline for its ban in the United States by 75 days. Announced on April 4, 2025, the extension moves the cutoff from April 5 to June 19, buying more time for the app’s Chinese owner, ByteDance, to sell its U.S. operations or face a nationwide shutdown. It’s the second delay Trump’s signed off on since taking office, and it’s got everyone—from fans to lawmakers—wondering what’s next for the app that’s hooked 170 million Americans.
The move came just a day before TikTok was set to go dark again. Trump took to Truth Social, saying his team’s “working very hard on a Deal to SAVE TIKTOK” but needs extra time to nail down approvals. He tied it to his new 34% tariff on Chinese imports—announced April 2—which apparently spooked ByteDance into backing off a near-finalized sale. “We hope to continue working in Good Faith with China, who I understand are not very happy about our Reciprocal Tariffs,” Trump wrote, framing the delay as a trade play too. The White House says it’s all about keeping TikTok alive while tackling security worries.
This saga started last year when Congress, with bipartisan gusto, passed a law demanding ByteDance divest TikTok by January 19, 2025, over fears China could spy on users or spread propaganda. The Supreme Court upheld it in January, but Trump stepped in on his first day—January 20—with a 75-day executive order, stalling enforcement until April 5. That kept TikTok humming, even after a 14-hour blackout on January 18-19 scared users. Now, with this latest extension, the clock’s reset to mid-June, though some legal experts argue Trump’s sidestepping the law’s strict rules, which only allow a 90-day delay if a sale’s clearly in motion.
What’s holding it up? Trump’s tariffs threw a wrench into talks. A deal was close—spinning TikTok’s U.S. arm into an American-majority-owned company, with ByteDance keeping a minority stake—until China balked at the new trade heat. Potential buyers like Oracle, Microsoft, and a group led by billionaire Frank McCourt (offering $20 billion) are still circling, but ByteDance’s not budging yet. Trump’s floated wild cards too—like a U.S. sovereign wealth fund grabbing a 50% stake—though that’s a long shot with the country’s debt pile.
Fans are breathing easier for now, but the mood’s mixed. Some cheer Trump’s push to “save” TikTok—he’s credited its young user base for his 2024 win—while others see it as a pointless stall on a done deal. Lawmakers like House Speaker Mike Johnson insist on a full sale, not more delays, warning Congress might step in if Trump keeps bending the rules. Meanwhile, TikTok’s back on app stores, and users are posting away, but the June 19 deadline looms—and with it, the same big question: deal or no deal? For now, the app’s got extra lives, but the game’s far from over.