Donald Trump has issued an executive order extending TikTok's operation in the United States for another 90 days to give his administration more time to complete a deal to hand over the social media platform to American owners.
“As he has emphasized many times, President Trump does not want TikTok to disappear from view. This extension will last for 90 days, during which time the administration will work to ensure this transaction is completed successfully so that American citizens can continue to use TikTok with confidence that their data is safe,” White House press secretary Carolyn Leavitt said Tuesday.
Mr Trump released the order on the Truth Social platform on Thursday morning.
This is the third time the president has extended the deadline, the first being on January 20, his first day in office, after the platform was temporarily taken offline by a nationwide ban approved by Congress and upheld by the Supreme Court.
The second extension came in April, when White House officials believed they were close to a deal to spin off TikTok into a new U.S.-owned company, but it fell through after China refused to back Trump's announcement of tariffs.
It is unclear how many times it will be able or willing to extend the ban as the government continues to try to reach a deal over TikTok, which is owned by China's ByteDance. While there is no clear legal basis for the extensions, no legal challenges have arisen to challenge them so far.
Mr Trump has amassed more than 15 million followers on TikTok since joining last year and credits the trending platform with helping him gain popularity among young people. In January, he said he had “warm feelings about TikTok”.
TikTok thanked Trump for signing the extension deal on Thursday.
“We are grateful to President Trump for his leadership and support in ensuring TikTok remains accessible to the more than 170 million American users and the 7.5 million American businesses that depend on the platform as we continue to collaborate with Vice President Vance’s office,” the company said in a statement.
As the extensions continue, the likelihood of TikTok being banned in the U.S. anytime soon is becoming increasingly remote. The decision to keep the platform in place via executive order has faced some criticism, but has not faced legal challenges in court, unlike many of Trump's other orders.
Jeremy Goldman, an analyst at Emarketer, described TikTok's situation in the US as “deadline purgatory.”
It all “is beginning to feel less like a ticking clock and more like a ringtone on loop. This political Groundhog Day is beginning to resemble the debt ceiling drama: a recurring threat without
Sourse: breakingnews.ie
