Trump describes national security and privacy concerns about TikTok and ByteDance as "highly overrated" and continues to extend a congressional ban deadline while awaiting a buyer. Congress approved a ban unless ByteDance sells its controlling stake, and the administration has extended the deadline three times, with the next extension due Sept. 17. Earlier extensions included an executive order on Jan. 20 and a failed plan to spin off TikTok into a U.S.-owned company after China objected following tariff announcements. The White House launched a TikTok account and Trump said he used the platform during his campaign. Public support for a U.S. TikTok ban has declined since March 2023.
President Donald Trump is calling national security and privacy concerns related to TikTok and its Chinese parent company "highly overrated" and said Friday he'll keep extending the deadline for the popular video-sharing platform until there's a buyer. Congress approved a U.S. ban on TikTok unless its parent company, ByteDance, sold its controlling stake. But Trump has so far extended the deadline three times during his second term - with the next one coming up on Sept. 17. "We're gonna watch the security concerns," Trump told reporters, but added, "We have buyers, American-buyers," and "until the complexity of things work out, we just extend a little bit longer."
The first extension was through an executive order on Jan. 20, his first day in office, after the platform went dark briefly when a national ban - approved by Congress and upheld by the U.S. Supreme Court - took effect. The second was in April, when White House officials believed they were nearing a deal to spin off TikTok into a new company with U.S. ownership that fell apart after China backed out following Trump's tariff announcement.
"I used TikTok in the campaign," Trump said. "I'm a fan of TikTok," he said. "My kids like TikTok. Young people love TikTok. If we could keep it going." As the extensions continue, it appears less and less likely that TikTok will be banned in the U.S. any time soon. The decision to keep TikTok alive through an executive order has received some scrutiny, but the administration has not faced a legal challenge in court - unlike many of Trump's other executive orders.
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