TikTok will continue to operate in the United States for at least three more months. US President Donald Trump is planning to sign a new executive order to delay the app’s sale or ban. This is the third time he has extended the deadline since taking office this year.

“President Trump will sign an additional Executive Order this week to keep TikTok up and running,” said White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt on Tuesday.

The Ban Was Tied to ByteDance’s Refusal to Sell

TikTok was set to be banned in the US because its Chinese parent company, ByteDance, didn’t sell it to a US firm by the January deadline. ByteDance and TikTok have not yet responded to requests for comment from the BBC.

Leavitt said the new 90-day extension will help “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.”

Trump Signals Confidence in Approval

Earlier, Trump told the BBC that he would “probably” extend the deadline. He also said, “We’ll probably have to get China approval. I think we’ll get it. I think President Xi will ultimately approve it.”
When asked if he had the legal authority to delay the ban, Trump said, “We do.”

Congress and Courts Already Approved the Ban

Trump’s decision goes against Congress, which passed the law requiring TikTok to either sell or shut down. President Joe Biden had signed that bill into law. The Supreme Court also upheld the law in January, right before Trump returned to office. At that time, TikTok briefly went offline during the weekend of Trump’s inauguration. After the app became available again, TikTok praised Trump for keeping it alive.

Trump’s Mixed History with TikTok

In 2020, Trump tried to force a sale of TikTok to an American company. However, last year he expressed a more favorable opinion. “I have a warm spot in my heart for TikTok, because I won youth by 34 points,” he said in December. Despite his claim, most young voters actually supported Democratic candidate Kamala Harris.

Analysts Question the Ban’s Credibility

Many analysts now doubt whether the ban will ever happen while Trump is in office. “What ban? There is nothing ‘looming’ about the potential TikTok ban anymore,” said Kelsey Chickering, a principal analyst at Forrester. She added that TikTok’s own behavior shows confidence. “They rolled out new AI video tools at Cannes this week,” she said.

Chickering also noted that TikTok’s rivals likely won’t benefit from the uncertainty. “Smaller players, like Snap, will try to steal share during this ‘uncertain time,’ but they will not succeed because this next round for TikTok isn’t uncertain at all.”

Ownership Talks Continue

Back in April, the Trump administration said the US and China were close to a deal that would give majority control of TikTok’s US operations to an American firm. That agreement has not been finalized. “There are key matters to be resolved,” said a ByteDance spokesperson. “Any agreement will be subject to approval under Chinese law.”

Potential Buyers Lined Up

Trump has said he would be open to selling TikTok to Oracle, a cloud tech company co-founded by his ally Larry Ellison. Other interested buyers include billionaire Frank McCourt, Canadian entrepreneur Kevin O’Leary, and Reddit co-founder Alexis Ohanian. Even YouTube star MrBeast (Jimmy Donaldson) said he wants to join a different investor group to purchase TikTok.