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Trump Extends Deadline for US TikTok Sale to September

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U.S. President Donald Trump on Thursday extended the deadline to September 17 for ByteDance, the China-based parent company of TikTok, to divest the app’s U.S. assets. This extension comes despite a law requiring the sale or shutdown of TikTok in the U.S. without significant progress.

Trump signed an executive order delaying the original deadline, which was set for Thursday, by 90 days—a move he had previously indicated.

The Republican president had already granted two extensions earlier, postponing enforcement of a law that mandated TikTok’s sale or shutdown by January, unless significant progress was made toward divestment.

Trump has expressed a desire to keep TikTok operational in the U.S., noting the app helped him gain young voters in the 2024 presidential election. He also voiced optimism that Chinese President Xi Jinping would approve a deal preserving TikTok’s presence in the U.S., although it is unclear how much the issue has been discussed amid ongoing tariff disputes between the two countries.

TikTok released a statement expressing gratitude for Trump’s support in keeping the app available. The company said it is continuing discussions with U.S. Vice President JD Vance’s office.

White House spokeswoman Karoline Leavitt told reporters that the extension provides “more time to make a good deal.” She added that legal experts at the White House and Department of Justice support the extension’s legality.

On Tuesday, Trump had indicated he would likely extend the deadline and expressed hope for China’s approval of the sale. “I think President Xi will ultimately approve it,” he said.

The 2024 law required TikTok to cease operations in the U.S. by January 19 unless ByteDance had divested U.S. assets or made substantial progress toward a sale. Trump, who began his second term on January 20, chose not to enforce the law and previously extended the deadline twice: once to early April and again last month to June 19.

Earlier this year, Trump offered to reduce tariffs on China to facilitate a deal for TikTok’s U.S. operations, which currently serve 170 million Americans. A planned deal would spin off TikTok’s U.S. business into a new company majority-owned by U.S. investors but was paused after China indicated it would not approve it amid tariff tensions.

Some Democratic lawmakers argue that Trump lacks legal authority to extend the deadline and question whether the proposed deal would comply with legal requirements.

Trump to Extend TikTok Sale Deadline for Third Time, White House Confirms

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U.S. President Donald Trump will extend the June 19 deadline for ByteDance, TikTok’s China-based parent company, to divest the app’s U.S. assets by 90 days, according to the White House. This marks the third extension of the deadline imposed by a law requiring either a sale or shutdown of TikTok in the United States unless significant progress toward divestment was made.

White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt said on Tuesday that Trump plans to sign another executive order this week to keep TikTok operational, pushing the deadline to mid-September. She emphasized the administration’s intention to ensure the sale is completed so Americans can continue using TikTok with confidence in their data’s security.

Trump previously extended the deadline twice: initially delaying enforcement from January to early April, then again to June 19. He cited TikTok’s popularity among young voters in the 2024 election as a reason for the extensions. On Tuesday, Trump told reporters aboard Air Force One that he expected to extend the deadline again and expressed optimism that Chinese President Xi Jinping would approve the deal.

The law mandated TikTok’s shutdown by January 19 unless ByteDance completed the sale of its U.S. operations or demonstrated significant progress. Negotiations have aimed to spin off TikTok’s U.S. operations into a new, majority U.S.-owned company, but progress stalled after China signaled it would not approve the deal, especially following Trump’s announcements of steep tariffs on Chinese goods.

Democratic senators have criticized the extensions, questioning Trump’s legal authority to continue delaying enforcement and expressing concerns that the proposed deal would not satisfy legal requirements.

Trump Mobile Pulls Coverage Map After ‘Gulf of Mexico’ Label Draws Attention

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Just hours after its launch on Monday, Trump Mobile removed its website’s coverage map following online criticism over the inclusion of the label “Gulf of Mexico” — a term President Donald Trump had controversially renamed by executive order to the “Gulf of America” during his second term.

The map, which had been featured prominently on the Trump Mobile website to showcase network coverage, used T-Mobile’s data, according to a review of the site’s source code by Reuters. T-Mobile’s map retains the internationally recognized term “Gulf of Mexico,” which sparked backlash from some Trump supporters and ridicule across social media platforms.

This incident underscores ongoing tensions around Trump’s executive order, which sought to officially rename the Gulf of Mexico — a change that has been rejected by the international community and ignored by many U.S. media outlets, including the Associated Press, which Trump subsequently barred from certain White House events, prompting a legal challenge.

Trump Mobile: Political Branding Meets Mobile Telecom

Trump Mobile, part of a licensing deal with the Trump Organization, is the latest venture aiming to monetize the political and cultural reach of Donald Trump. The service is powered by Liberty Mobile Wireless, a Florida-based MVNO (mobile virtual network operator) that leases bandwidth from major providers — in this case, T-Mobile.

Despite its launch fanfare, the coverage map issue has exposed a contradiction between the “America First” branding and reliance on external telecom infrastructure that does not reflect the Trump administration’s naming conventions. As of Tuesday morning, the coverage map page returned a “not found” error, and the Trump Organization has not commented on the removal.

Additional Controversies

  • The venture had previously faced skepticism over its “Made in America” smartphone claims, as details about the phone’s manufacturing origin remain vague.

  • The smartphone, priced at $499, has not identified a U.S. manufacturer, a challenge given the country’s limited domestic production capacity in mobile hardware.