U.S. President Donald Trump said he would extend the deadline for ByteDance to divest TikTok’s U.S. assets if a deal is still not in place by June 19th. This would mark the third reprieve since a congressionally mandated ban was originally set to take effect in January.
In an interview with NBC News that aired May 5, Trump said, “I would … I’d like to see it done,” referring to the ongoing divestment talks. The interview was taped Friday at his Mar-a-Lago estate in Palm Beach, Florida.
Trump has already delayed enforcement of the ban twice since returning to office in January. The current law requires TikTok to stop operating in the U.S. unless ByteDance completes a sale of the app’s U.S. operations to American investors. That sale remains in limbo.
Deal talks on hold amid U.S.-China tensions
A deal to spin off TikTok’s U.S. operations into a new, U.S.-controlled company was reportedly moving forward earlier this year. However, it was put on hold after China pushed back against the proposal, especially after Trump announced steep new tariffs on Chinese goods.
Trump confirmed in the interview that he would not remove those tariffs just to secure a deal. He said China still wants to move forward but acknowledged that the tariffs are weighing on the talks. “At some point, I’m going to lower them,” Trump said, “because otherwise, you could never do business with them. And they want to do business very much.”
Some U.S. lawmakers, particularly Senate Democrats, argue that Trump does not have the legal authority to keep extending the deadline. They have also raised concerns that the proposed deal may not meet the law’s requirements for full divestiture and U.S. control.
What comes next
Trump’s comments suggest that a third extension is likely if no resolution is reached by mid-June. But it’s unclear how long that delay would last or what conditions would trigger enforcement of the law.
ByteDance has not confirmed whether it is actively pursuing a new deal, and any agreement would likely depend on broader U.S.-China negotiations. Until then, TikTok’s status in the U.S. remains uncertain, and creators should be cautious about overreliance on the platform.