On Friday, Donald Trump announced that he is signing an executive order allowing TikTok to continue operating in the US for an additional 75 days, giving his administration more time to negotiate a deal to transfer the social media platform into American ownership. The app has so far courted high-profile bidders across industries, from Amazon to Andreessen Horowitz to OnlyFans.
Recap: Congress last year passed a law — upheld by the Supreme Court — ordering ByteDance, TikTok’s China-based parent company, to divest from its US operations or face a nationwide ban over national security concerns. Trump, who vowed to protect the app, told the Justice Department to postpone its enforcement until Saturday and is scrambling to find an American buyer.
Can Trump save TikTok? The app insists it’s not for sale, saying China would block a deal. If no deal can be reached, Trump could keep instructing the Justice Department to ignore the law, effectively reassuring Apple and Google that they won’t face penalties for allowing downloads and rendering the law largely ineffective.