- Where does the TikTok saga stand, with one week to go before a potential ban? President Trump has said he’s open to lowering tariffs on China if the country backs a sale, or he could merely extend the deadline further.
- Legislation under the former Biden administration called for TikTok’s parent company, ByteDance, to divest from the app by Jan. 19. Trump extended that deadline by executive order on his first day back in office.
- A few people and entities, including YouTube star MrBeast and former Los Angeles Dodgers owner Frank McCourt, have expressed interest in purchasing TikTok, though details about their proposals remain scant.
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On Saturday, April 5, a new chapter in the TikTok saga is set to begin. That’s the day President Donald Trump’s 75-day ban extension, during which time TikTok’s Beijing-based parent company, ByteDance, has to divest, will expire. Absent a deal, the popular social media platform could once again go dark.
While no plans for a sale to a U.S. buyer have been made public, Trump told reporters on Wednesday, March 26, that he would consider reducing tariffs on China if the country agreed to a sale. Similarly, Trump said that if a sale isn’t finalized, he would merely draw the potential ban out further.
“If it’s not finished, it’s not a big deal,” USA Today quotes Trump as saying. “We’ll just extend [the deadline].”
Chronicling the TikTok saga
TikTok first went dark for roughly 12 hours just before the ban took effect at midnight on Jan. 19 and one day before Trump was due to be sworn in for his second term. That was the result of legislation signed by then-President Joe Biden, requiring ByteDance to sell its U.S. assets to an American company over concerns that the tech giant’s ties to the Chinese government pose national security risks. TikTok has denied any claims that it shares user data with China’s ruling Communist Party. However, a former ByteDance employee has refuted the company’s denials.
Then, on Jan. 20, Trump signed an executive order delaying the TikTok ban for 75 days. Biden’s legislation left room for the president to issue a 90-day delay in implementing the ban. However, Trump did so through executive order –– a move he could theoretically opt for indefinitely.
Senate Dems urge Trump to extend the deadline
While the government awaits a deal between ByteDance and a U.S. company, three Senators are asking Trump to rally their Republican counterparts behind the Extend the TikTok Deadline Act, which would, as its name implies, extend the deadline to sell until Oct. 16.
First introduced by Rep. Ro Khanna, D-Calif., the legislation was highlighted in a letter sent to Trump on Monday, March 24, by Sens. Ed Markey, D-Mass., Chris Van Hollen, D-Md., and Cory Booker, D-N.J., who warned that “any further extensions of the TikTok deadline will require Oracle, Apple, Google and other companies to continue risking ruinous legal liability.”
Despite the majority of Republicans falling in line with Trump’s policy proposals over the past two months, a number of top GOP Senators voiced their opposition to extending the ban’s deadline back in January.
As the TikTok saga drags on, a few players, including YouTube star MrBeast and former Los Angeles Dodgers owner Frank McCourt, have expressed interest in purchasing it –– though details about their proposals remain scant.
