U.S. President Donald Trump has signed a new executive order granting TikTok an additional 90 days to continue operating in the country. The move, officially announced and cited by The Associated Press, aims to buy more time to finalize a potential deal that would transfer ownership of the platform—currently held by Chinese company ByteDance—into American hands.
This marks the third time the Trump administration has extended the deadline since efforts to block TikTok began over national security concerns. The first extension was issued on January 20, the day of Trump’s inauguration, following the activation of a ban previously approved by Congress and upheld by the Supreme Court, which briefly rendered the app inactive. In April, a second reprieve was granted after preliminary progress on a deal to restructure TikTok under U.S. control.
Despite these efforts, TikTok’s fate in the U.S. remains unclear. It’s unknown how many more times Trump will be willing—or able—to delay the ban. While these extensions lack a solid legal foundation, they also haven’t been challenged in court. TikTok continues to operate freely for its 170 million users in the United States, with companies like Apple, Google, and Oracle maintaining technical support for the app after receiving assurances from the Department of Justice that they wouldn’t face economic penalties.
Ironically, Trump himself has benefited from the platform. Since launching his account last year, he has gained more than 15 million followers and praised its reach among younger voters. “I have a soft spot for TikTok,” he said during a public appearance in January.
The second extension, issued in April, was driven by hopes of an imminent agreement. However, negotiations collapsed after the U.S. announced new tariffs on Chinese goods, prompting Beijing to withdraw from the talks. While the administration has signaled it remains open to resuming discussions, no concrete progress or terms have been made public.
This stalemate has sparked skepticism in the tech industry. Jeremy Goldman, an analyst at Emarketer, described the situation as “a deadline purgatory.” Repeated delays, he argued, have created a sense of endless limbo: “It no longer feels like a countdown—it’s more like a looping dial tone. This political Groundhog Day mirrors the debt ceiling drama: a recurring threat with no real resolution.”
According to White House sources, the new executive order allows TikTok to operate in the U.S. until September 17, when the current extension officially expires. Specific conditions for a potential fourth reprieve haven’t been disclosed, but officials say the administration reserves the right to extend the deadline again if negotiations stall.
In the meantime, no new directives have been issued for users or tech firms supporting the app, signaling a priority to maintain the status quo and avoid a sudden disruption in service.
Unlike other executive orders issued by the Trump administration—on immigration, public health, or military funding—TikTok’s case has faced little legal resistance. This is partly due to the willingness of involved parties to comply with government guidelines while awaiting a negotiated outcome.
Sources close to the talks, quoted by AP, say both the Department of Commerce and the Department of Justice have intentionally avoided litigation, likely to prevent setting adverse legal precedents in the areas of tech regulation and international relations between Washington and Beijing.
