US President Donald Trump has indicated that he would “probably” extend the deadline for a TikTok sale if no deal is finalized by the original target date. During remarks in the Oval Office on Thursday, Trump responded to a reporter’s question about the potential extension, stating, “Probably, yeah,” when asked if he would extend the timeline for TikTok’s sale.
Trump emphasized that there is significant interest in TikTok, noting that the Chinese government will have a role in the decision-making process. However, he did not specify the length of the potential extension. “Right now we have at least another month, so we don’t need an extension,” he added. “But if I needed an extension, I’d probably get an extension.”
A law passed under the Biden administration mandates that the China-owned app must either be sold to a US-based company or one of its allies, or face a ban due to national security concerns. In response, Trump signed an executive order on January 20, providing TikTok’s parent company, ByteDance, with an additional 75 days to find a new owner.
Despite the uncertainty surrounding TikTok’s future, there have been numerous potential buyers for the app, including bids from YouTube star MrBeast and a joint proposal from former Los Angeles Dodgers owner Frank McCourt and “Shark Tank” investor Kevin O’Leary. Trump has also mentioned other potential buyers, including his ally Elon Musk and Oracle founder Larry Ellison.
The ongoing negotiations come after TikTok faced a brief shutdown in January, followed by the restoration of the app and its eventual return to Google and Apple’s app stores in February. Despite this, the app’s future remains uncertain, with the April 5 deadline fast approaching for ByteDance to strike a deal for the US operations of TikTok. The Chinese government has shown signs of a potential change in stance regarding the deal, but it remains unclear if any specific bid has made significant progress.
