President Donald Trump has once again extended the deadline for Chinese company ByteDance to sell its US TikTok assets, this time until 17 September. Although there are already US buyers lined up, the decision to postpone the enforcement of the 2024 law is controversial and adds to uncertainty about the future of the popular app in the US.
The issue of TikTok’s sale has been dragging on for months. A law passed last year would have forced ByteDance to divest the US portion of the business by 19 January 2025, citing national security reasons and concerns about the Chinese government’s access to US citizens’ data. However, the Trump administration has already pushed back the deadline several times, giving the company more time to find a suitable buyer.
The president himself appears to downplay the dangers behind the bill. He has stated that security concerns are “very overblown” and declared that he is a “TikTok fan”. This attitude is at odds with the bipartisan consensus in Congress, where many lawmakers have criticised the delays, accusing the administration of disregarding the law and ignoring real risks.
Interestingly, just days before the announcement of the next extension, the White House officially joined the platform. This move, coupled with Trump’s statements, suggests a more complex political and business game than one might think. Although the president mentioned “very significant American buyers”, he did not reveal any specific names or companies.
Tensions between Washington and Beijing remain in the background. Trump has indicated that he has not yet discussed the issue with Chinese President Xi Jinping, but intends to do so “in due course”. Meanwhile, uncertainty over TikTok’s fate in the US is growing. The postponement gives ByteDance more room to manoeuvre, but at the same time leaves millions of US users and creators in limbo and the entire tech industry waiting for a final ruling.
