On June 19, U.S. President Donald Trump signed an executive order to extend the legal deadline for the sale of TikTok’s U.S. assets by ByteDance to September 17, once again delaying it by 90 days. The White House emphasized that this extension aims to allow for more time to achieve a “good deal,” while TikTok expressed gratitude for the government’s support.
According to the executive order published by the White House, the Department of Justice is prohibited from enforcing the “Protecting Americans from Foreign Adversaries Act” (PAFACA) against TikTok or its parent company ByteDance before September 17. No sanctions should be imposed on activities such as distribution, updates, or maintenance of the application.
The order also stated that actions taken between January 19 and the date of the order will not be held accountable, and it requires the Attorney General to provide letters to application providers, confirming that they have not violated regulations and hold no responsibility.
President Trump also announced on his social media platform Truth Social, “I just signed an executive order to extend the deadline for TikTok by 90 days (until September 17, 2025).”
White House spokesperson Karoline Leavitt stated during a press conference on Thursday, “This signifies more time, more time to get a good deal done.” She added that the White House legal advisers and the Department of Justice believe that this extension has a solid legal foundation.
Leavitt previously mentioned that Trump did not want TikTok to be “forced offline,” and he signed the executive order to ensure that TikTok continues to operate.
In response, TikTok released a statement through its official website, thanking President Trump for his leadership and support in ensuring TikTok can continue serving over 170 million American users and 7.5 million American businesses relying on the platform.
The company mentioned that they will continue to work with Vice President JD Vance’s office to handle the matter.
Under the law passed in 2024, if TikTok fails to divest its U.S. assets by January 19, 2025, or show significant progress, it will be mandatory to shut down. A deal was close to completion this spring, intending to spin off TikTok’s U.S. operations into a new company controlled by American investors and established in the U.S. However, the deal was halted after Trump announced tariffs on China in April, with China stating that they would not approve the transaction.
On April 6, President Trump said to reporters on Air Force One, “We were getting very close to a deal with TikTok, not a big deal, nearly there. Then China changed the conditions because of tariffs.”
He added, “If I just cut a small chunk of tariffs, they would approve the deal in 15 minutes, showing the power of tariffs.”
Before Trump issued the latest executive order, some Republican lawmakers had expressed opposition to further deadline extensions.
On Wednesday, Senate Armed Services Committee Chairman and Republican Senator from Mississippi Roger Wicker said, “I’m not very happy about it, I don’t think it’s a good idea.”
Missouri Republican Senator Josh Hawley stated, “This wasn’t what I wanted to see. I’m willing to let him try to sell it – that’s fine – but I think ultimately we have to enforce this law.”
Texas Republican Senator Ted Cruz also mentioned on Wednesday that the CCP “uses TikTok in the U.S. for spying and propaganda activities,” highlighting that the purpose of Congress passing this legislation is to force Chinese companies to withdraw.
Several Democratic lawmakers, including Senate Democratic Leader Chuck Schumer, have questioned whether Trump has the authority to extend the deadline once again, and raised concerns that the proposed deal may not comply with legal requirements.