President Donald Trump may grant another extension to TikTok despite the Biden-era law banning the platform unless its Chinese owner, ByteDance, sells its shares to an American company
The potential extension—first reported by the New York Post on Tuesday—comes as Trump prepares to hold trade negotiations with China, marking the third time the Communist Chinese government-tied app dodged accountability.
“The president has said he’s willing to (announce another extension) if it has to happen,” an anonymous government official told the Post. The official added that China wants “to hold this up as leverage in the trade talks.”
Trump’s most recent extension was set to expire June 19, coinciding with the launch of his administration’s tariff talks with China, one of the president’s key campaign promises. He had extended the deadline on April 4 and on Jan. 20, giving ByteDance 75 days each time to negotiate a U.S. sale.
ICYMI: Trump Asks Tech Giants ‘Not to Let TikTok Stay Dark’ a Day Before Inauguration
Embattled former President Joe Biden signed the bill that established these extensions into law on April 23, 2024, after it passed both chambers of Congress. The law gave ByteDance until Jan. 19 to divest from TikTok or face a ban. The ban’s enforcement fell on tech giants like Apple and Google, through their respective app stores, though Trump extended the deadline on Jan. 20.
Several organizations, including the Media Research Center, backed the legislation, citing the grave risks TikTok poses to U.S. national security.
TikTok is in part controlled by the Communist Chinese government as it has a board seat and financial stake in ByteDance, as required by Chinese national security laws. This allows the government to have a direct say in ByteDance’s corporate decisions, including those pertaining to TikTok, one of the most popular apps in America.
“It is absolutely correct and necessary for TikTok to divest itself of any control from the communist Chinese government in China if it wants to do business in the United States,” MRC Founder Brent Bozell said in a video statement posted on X. “I support this bill. I support reining in TikTok. I support stopping the communist Chinese from influencing the United States subversively.”
Flashback: ‘Consistent from the Start’: Bozell Says TikTok Must Divest from Communist Chinese Gov’t
TikTok must divest itself from China if it wants to do business in the United States.
— Media Research Center (@theMRC) March 12, 2024
We at the MRC have been consistent from the beginning. TikTok is a national security threat. @BrentBozell pic.twitter.com/FfSh1futU3
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