President Donald Trump has followed through on his commitment to save TikTok yet again, marking the second time this year that he’s used an Executive Order to prevent the popular social media app from going dark.
Under previous guidelines, TikTok had until April 5th to divest and find a U.S.-based owner or be banned in the U.S.
But on Friday afternoon, just one day before the deadline was due to expire, the President announced that he would be extending said deadline for an additional 75 days. “My Administration has been working very hard on a Deal to SAVE TIKTOK, and we have made tremendous progress,” Trump said on Truth Social.
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Trump also made reference to the global fallout following the controversial tariffs he announced on April 2. China announced on Friday morning that it will impose a 34% tariff on imports of all U.S. products starting on April 10. This was a retaliatory measure and matches the 34% tariff that Trump placed on Chinese exports.
“We hope to continue working in Good Faith with China, who I understand are not very happy about our Reciprocal Tariffs (Necessary for Fair and Balanced Trade between China and the U.S.A.!),” Trump continued via Truth Social. “This proves that Tariffs are the most powerful Economic tool, and very important to our National Security!”
TikTok, which boasts more than 170 million users, has been under fire by U.S. legislators based on data privacy and national security concerns.
Under his previous term, Trump was the acting force seeking to ban TikTok in the U.S. But the President seemed favorable towards the app following his election win, citing it as part of why he secured support from young voters.
"We have a lot of potential buyers," Trump said on Air Force One on Sunday, March 30. "I'd like to see Tiktok remain alive." Amazon has reportedly told the White House that it is interested in purchasing the app, according to the New York Times. China has indicated that it would not support the forced sale of TikTok.
The ongoing tussle is just the most recent development in the long legal battle to keep TikTok available in the U.S. Efforts to ban TikTok in Montana were overturned by a federal judge in 2023 after creators filed suit against the state.
ByteDance, TikTok's Beijing-based parent company, commented on the current state of play in an emailed statement shared with TIME on April 4. "ByteDance has been in discussion with the U.S. Government regarding a potential solution for TikTok U.S. An agreement has not been executed," the statement read. "There are key matters to be resolved. Any agreement will be subject to approval under Chinese law."
Here’s what to know:
Who currently owns TikTok?
TikTok is owned by ByteDance. 60% of the company is owned by investors including Carlyle Group, General Atlantic, and Susquehanna International Group, according to TikTok’s U.S. Data Security page. The remaining 40% is divided between ByteDance employees and the founder of ByteDance.
TikTok is not available in mainland China and has headquarters in Los Angeles and Singapore.
But its parent company does have to comply with Chinese law because it operates other video first platforms such as Douyin, the Chinese-equivalent of TikTok. The Chinese government therefore has a “golden share” of one of its subsidiaries, Douyin, owning about 1% of that app.
Why is the U.S. banning TikTok?
Congress passed a TikTok ban as part of a foreign aid supplemental package, citing national security concerns. Lawmakers were particularly concerned that the company could share data with the Chinese government or interfere with users’ algorithms in a way that would benefit the foreign government. Chinese national security laws require any companies or organizations to cooperate with the country’s national intelligence efforts.
“Congress is not acting to punish ByteDance, TikTok or any other individual company,” Senate Commerce Committee Chairwoman Maria Cantwell said in April 2024. “Congress is acting to prevent foreign adversaries from conducting espionage, surveillance, maligned operations, harming vulnerable Americans, our servicemen and women, and our U.S. government personnel.”
Already, the app is not permitted on any government-owned devices in the U.S. Other countries, including India have banned TikTok for all users since 2020, while Australia and Canada similarly forbade TikTok from operating on any devices issued by the federal government.
What can Trump do to extend the deadline?
The previous April 5th deadline has been extended to June, via a new Executive Order. Trump could possibly issue another such order to extend the deadline, if necessary.
Can you still use TikTok if it is banned?
Last time the app was banned, U.S.-based users were unable to comment, share, or view any videos. “A law banning TikTok has been enacted in the U.S. Unfortunately, that means you can’t use TikTok for now,” a message on a gray background read during the one-day TikTok pause.
Even when the app was restored, TikTok was unavailable for download on the Apple and Google Play stores until mid-February.
It is unclear whether another potential ban would function similarly to the previous one.