(CTN News) – TikTok, a video-sharing app, has been given a further 90 days to extend its global audience or face a ban in the United States, according to President Trump on Thursday.

“I have recently signed the executive order That extends the deadline for TikTok closing by 90 days (September 17, 2025),” Trump declared in a statement released on his Truth Social platform, delaying the ban for another 90 days.

Due to national security concerns, federal laws that would have restricted or compelled the sale of TikTok were set to go into effect the day before Trump’s inauguration in January.

The Republican has already voiced his admiration for the video-sharing software, which was crucial to his 2024 campaign.

During an interview with NBC News in early May, Trump admitted to having affection for TikTok. “If it is necessary, I am willing to provide an extension.”

TikTok endorsed Trump’s selection Thursday.

The company issued a statement thanking President Trump for his direction and cooperation in ensuring that TikTok remains available to more than 170 million American users.

Polarization of the Digital Age?

According to Trump’s May statements, a group of purchasers were willing to pay ByteDance “a significant amount of money” for the US operations of the viral video-clip-sharing app TikTok.

Fears of jeopardizing US operations have prompted Trump to repeatedly affirm his confidence in his ability to sell the app. The White House stated on Monday that President Trump would provide more support to the popular video-sharing app, which has over two billion users worldwide.

In a statement, the government announced that they will endeavor “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.” During the additional grace period, they will concentrate on this goal.

Rob Enderle, an independent pundit, claims that the president is “just not motivated to do anything about TikTok.” “It appears that TikTok will be unaffected, provided that there is no interaction with him.”

Trump chose to support the initiative because he believed it was crucial to his triumph among young people in November. He earlier advocated for a moratorium or divestment, and now he wants to defend it.

The ban was issued on January 19, the day before Trump’s inauguration, in response to national security concerns and the conviction in Washington is controlled by the Chinese government. Despite ByteDance’s lack of interest in finding a partner, the restriction remained.

According to Shweta Singh, an assistant professor of information systems at Warwick Business School in Britain, TikTok has now become a symbol of the US-China tech competition, as well as a flashpoint in the new Cold War for digital dominance.

Upon taking office, the president temporarily suspended the moratorium for 75 days. The new deadline was June 19 as a result of a second extension. Right now, the deadline is September 17.

Uncertainties about tariffs

In April, Trump claimed that China would have agreed to sell TikTok if the tariff issues he imposed on Beijing had not arisen. ByteDance admitted that conversations with the US government were necessary to overcome crucial issues; however, any agreement would be “subject to approval under Chinese law.”

Some speculate that current ByteDance investors in the United States may be able to transfer their shares to a new, independent global TikTok company. ByteDance would add additional US investors, including Oracle and private equity company Blackstone, to reduce its shareholding in the new TikTok.

The majority of TikTok’s content in the United States is hosted by Oracle, whose CEO, Larry Ellison, has been a longtime supporter of Donald Trump.

One of the many outstanding questions is the destiny of TikTok’s valuable algorithm.

Kelsey Chickering, a principal analyst at Forrester, likened to Harry Potter without his wand, claiming that it is simply not as effective without its algorithm.

Despite the tumult, TikTok has been operational without incident.

The platform made its “Symphony” suite of generative AI features, which can convert text or images into mini movies, available for advertising on Monday.

SOURCE: DN