TikTok’s Sell-Off Deadline May Be Extended Again

TikTok’s uncertain future in the U.S. continues, with President Donald Trump suggesting he may once again delay enforcement of a mandated sell-off deadline, keeping the app in a prolonged state of regulatory limbo.

Although a law approved by the U.S. Senate last year requires TikTok to divest from its Chinese parent company ByteDance or face a ban, enforcement has been repeatedly postponed. The initial deadline, set for January 2025, was pushed back by a 75-day executive hold order issued by Trump shortly after his return to office. With no U.S. acquisition deal finalized by the revised April deadline, Trump granted a second 75-day pause, now extending TikTok’s operational window through June 18.

This sequence of extensions – executive actions that effectively delay the implementation of a legislative mandate – has raised legal and procedural questions. Still, Trump has signaled a willingness to extend the deadline again if no deal is reached, keeping TikTok accessible to its millions of American users. Complicating the issue further are escalating trade tensions between the U.S. and China. Ongoing tariff disputes have hampered diplomatic engagement, including any negotiations over a potential TikTok sale.

With no clear path forward, TikTok’s future in the U.S. remains deeply tied to broader geopolitical dynamics. Unless relations between the two countries improve, or a breakthrough is somehow reached, the app may continue to operate under temporary allowances – with each extension only making it easier for another to follow.