New York (CNN) 鈥 TikTok just got another lifeline from the White House, with President Donald Trump set to delay enforcement of the sale-or-ban law by another 90 days.
鈥淧resident Trump will sign an additional Executive Order this week to keep TikTok up and running,鈥 Karoline Leavitt, White House press secretary, said in a statement on Tuesday. 鈥淎s 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.鈥
On Thursday, Trump confirmed that he鈥檇 signed an executive order delaying enforcement of the law by 90 days in a Truth Social post. The deadline for TikTok parent company ByteDance to hand over control of TikTok鈥檚 US operations is now September 17.
It鈥檚 been about five months since a law requiring TikTok to be banned in the United States unless it鈥檚 sold off by its China-based parent company technically went into effect. But thanks to President Donald Trump鈥檚 promises not to enforce the law, neither of those things have happened, aside from an approximately 14-hour blackout in January. Tuesday鈥檚 announcement marks Trump鈥檚 third extension of the ban.
The announcement means that the app will remain accessible for its 170 million American users despite the legislation that passed last year with bipartisan support over concerns that TikTok鈥檚 Chinese ownership poses a US national security risk. And it comes as both the United States and China seek leverage in in which TikTok appears to have become a bargaining chip.
The TikTok sale-or-ban law went into effect on January 19 after it was signed by former President Joe Biden last year. TikTok briefly took itself offline, sparking outcry from creators, but quickly came back after Trump signed an order delaying the ban鈥檚 enforcement by 75 days. It was one of his first acts as president, made in hopes of reaching a deal to keep the app 鈥渁live.鈥
In April, a deal that would have transferred majority control of TikTok鈥檚 US operations to American ownership was nearly finalized. But it fell apart after Trump announced additional tariffs on China, forcing the president to announce another 75-day delay to keep the app operational in the United States.
鈥淭here are key matters to be resolved. Any agreement will be subject to approval under Chinese law,鈥 TikTok parent company ByteDance said after Trump鈥檚 tariff policy stalled progress on the deal in April.
That pause was set to expire on June 19, before Trump鈥檚 Thursday executive order. .
Trump鈥檚 latest enforcement delay raises questions about the status of a deal that could secure TikTok鈥檚 long-term future in the United States. The Chinese government has offered little public indication that it would be willing to approve a sale beyond suggesting that any deal could not include TikTok鈥檚 鈥渁lgorithm,鈥 which has been called the app鈥檚 secret sauce.
In a statement on Thursday, TikTok indicated that it is still in talks with the office of Vice President JD Vance 鈥 who Trump appointed to oversee the effort 鈥 on a deal that would secure the popular short-form video platform鈥檚 future in the United States.
鈥淲e are grateful for President Trump鈥檚 leadership and support in ensuring that TikTok continues to be available for more than 170 million American users and 7.5 million U.S. businesses that rely on the platform as we continue to work with Vice President Vance鈥檚 Office,鈥 TikTok said in a statement.
The new extension comes after the United States and China to ease export controls, a move that鈥檚 expected to ease tensions and prevent further escalation of export and other restrictions between the two countries. It鈥檚 not clear whether a TikTok deal is included in the framework, but cooperation between the two sides could make an agreement to transfer control of the app to a US buyer more likely.
Earlier on Tuesday, Trump told reporters that a TikTok deal would 鈥減robably鈥 require approval by the Chinese government and said, 鈥淚 think we鈥檒l get it.鈥
鈥淚 think President Xi will ultimately approve it, yes,鈥 the US president added.
The deal that had been in the making earlier this year would have involved several American venture capital funds, private equity firms and tech giants investing in a company that would control TikTok鈥檚 US operations. TikTok鈥檚 China-based owner, ByteDance, would have retained a 20% stake in the spinoff company 鈥 a key stipulation of the law.
Several other high-profile bidders had also put their hands up to acquire the platform, including a billionaire Frank McCourt and 鈥淪hark Tank鈥-famous investor Kevin O鈥橪eary, Amazon, and a that included YouTube and TikTok star Jimmy Donaldson, known online as MrBeast.
It was Trump who first tried to ban TikTok during his previous administration, but he has said he changed his mind after he 鈥済ot to use it.鈥 TikTok CEO Shou Chew attended Trump鈥檚 inauguration, seated on stage alongside Cabinet secretaries and other tech CEOs.
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