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Trump Gives TikTok More Time: Here’s What’s Really Going On With the App’s US Sale
- Qui Joacin
- 2 days ago
- 3 min read
The TikTok saga isn’t over yet — Trump just extended the sale deadline by 75 days. Here’s what it means for users, investors, and US-China relations.
Okay Talkers, let’s talk about TikTok — because things just got even more complicated.
Just when we thought the clock was running out, President Trump swooped in and gave TikTok an extra 75 days to figure things out. That means the deadline to sell its U.S. operations has been moved to mid-June, and yes — it’s still all kinds of messy.
Wait, What’s This All About?
If you’re like me and you’ve been scrolling TikTok daily without a care in the world, you might not have realized that the app was on the verge of being banned in the U.S. again. Yup. Back in 2024, a law was passed that basically said: ByteDance (TikTok’s parent company in China) has to sell off the U.S. part of TikTok to a non-Chinese buyer, or the app would be banned nationwide.
That original deadline was January 19, 2025 — but Trump took office for his second term on January 20, and instead of enforcing the ban, he hit pause. Now, he's officially giving them until mid-June to get a deal done.
What Trump Said
In a social media post, Trump said the deal “requires more work” to finalize, but he’s still hoping to work “in good faith” with China, despite the fact that tensions are super high right now.
And no surprise there — the trade war is heating up again, with the U.S. recently jacking up tariffs on Chinese goods to a jaw-dropping 54%, and China clapping back with its own set of restrictions. Trump even hinted that he’d consider lowering some of those tariffs... if China helps get this TikTok deal across the finish line.
So yeah, TikTok is suddenly right in the middle of a massive global chess match.
Who’s In the Running to Buy TikTok?
Here’s where it gets interesting: four different investor groups are reportedly talking with the White House about snapping up TikTok’s U.S. operations.
Some big names being tossed around include:
Susquehanna International Group (Jeff Yass’ firm)
General Atlantic (led by Bill Ford)
Walmart (yup, again — they tried in 2020 too)
The current plan being floated is to spin off TikTok’s U.S. operations into a new American-owned company, with ByteDance’s Chinese stake dropping below 20% — enough to satisfy U.S. law and (hopefully) keep TikTok alive in the States.
What’s China Saying?
Well... not much, officially. That’s kind of the problem.
For this sale to go through, the Chinese government has to approve it — and so far, they haven’t said whether they’re on board. Trump even hinted that China might be pushing back behind the scenes.
If China puts its foot down and says no, this whole thing could fall apart — and TikTok could once again be at risk of a full ban in the U.S.
What This Means for TikTok Users
For now, your For You Page isn’t going anywhere. The app is still available for download, and people are still posting like it’s business as usual. The Justice Department even told Apple and Google that they’re not enforcing the old ban right now, so app stores are chill — for the moment.
But let’s be real: this deadline extension doesn’t mean the drama’s over. If ByteDance can’t work out a sale that satisfies both U.S. and Chinese governments by mid-June, we could be right back where we started — with TikTok facing a possible shutdown in the U.S.
Final Thoughts
So yeah — TikTok’s fate in the U.S. is still very much up in the air, and now the clock is ticking again. Will a deal happen in time? Will China even allow it? And will Walmart somehow become a major player in your daily scroll time?
Only time will tell, but you can bet I’ll be keeping an eye on it.
Until then, keep making those videos while you can — just in case
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