Trump signs executive order delaying ban on TikTok - again
The 90-day extension marks the third time that Trump has delayed a TikTok sell-or-ban law from going into effect after it it was passed by Congress.
WASHINGTON − President Donald Trump has again extended the deadline for a TikTok ban to go into effect, allowing the Chinese-owned social platform to continue operating for the 90 days.
Trump said earlier in the week that he planned to give TikTok a third extension and signed an executive order on June 19 making it official. It was the third time that Trump authorized a delay.
The popular social media app's parent company, ByteDance, now has until Sept. 17 to secure a deal that satisfies a legal requirement. Lawmakers ordered TikTok to divest from its Chinese ownership or face a ban in the United States over national security concerns.
Former President Joe Biden signed the bipartisan legislation into law. And the Supreme Court held the ban. But since returning to office, Trump has directed the Department of Justice not to enforce it. His executive orders have kept the app from going dark.
White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt said the administration's lawyers "strongly believe" the president has the legal authority to delay enforcement.
"The political reasoning for this, of course, is because the president made a promise to keep TikTok on," she said. "He also wants to protect American's data and privacy concerns on this app, and he believes we can do both things at the same time. So he's making an extension so we can get this deal done."
Trump ordered Vice President JD Vance and his then-national security adviser, Mike Waltz, to help facilitate a deal that would prevent user data from being accessed by the Chinese government. U.S. officials said they were on the verge of reaching an agreement in April but hit stumbling blocks when Trump ratcheted up tariffs on China.
Trade relations between the two nations have improved since then but a TikTok deal remains on ice. It was not clear if TikTok came up when Chinese President Xi Jinping and Trump spoke by phone for the first time on June 5.
"We probably have to get China approval. I think we'll get it," Trump told reporters on June 17. "I think President Xi will ultimately approve it."
TikTok has 135 million users in the United States, most of them young Americans, who Trump has said he does not believe are at risk from being spied on.
"If China is going to get information about young kids, I don't know. To be honest with you, I think we have bigger problems than that," he told reporters.
China denies that it interferes in the affairs of private businesses.
Its embassy spokesman in Washington said in a June 19 statement that Trump has not changed its position on the United States ban. In response to a request, Liu Pengyu reiterated that the nation would "handle relevant matters in accordance with Chinese laws and regulations" and said the United States "should provide an open, fair, just, and non-discriminatory business environment."
Contributing: Joey Garrison