If things had gone as planned, TikTok would have been banned in the US at the beginning of the year. However, after taking office, US President Donald Trump extended TikTok’s ban deadline to April 5, 2025. Trump was confident he could secure a deal before then, but that doesn’t appear to be the case. So, it’s no surprise that Trump is willing to delay the TikTok ban again and give us a new deadline.
New TikTok ban delay
According to a report from Axios, during an interview with NBC’s “Meet the Press,” Trump said that if a deal isn’t made before the current 19th of June deadline, he will grant the company another extension. Trump was quoted as saying, “Perhaps I shouldn’t say this, but I have a little warm spot in my heart for TikTok.”
His statement is ironic, considering that Trump originally proposed a TikTok ban during his first term as President of the United States. However, Trump has since credited TikTok with helping him win his second term. This is why he is taking a different approach now. That said, it’s unclear if a deal to sell TikTok will ever happen.
TikTok sale complications
At the moment, there is no shortage of American companies willing to buy TikTok. TikTok commands a sizeable user base, making it perfect for data mining and advertising. Several companies, including Oracle, Amazon, and Microsoft, have thrown their names into the ring.
However, the issue here isn’t so much who wants to buy TikTok as whether or not the Chinese government will allow it. China considers TikTok’s algorithm a key piece of technology. Given tensions between the US and China at the moment, this restricts TikTok’s ability to sell itself to foreign companies, let alone an American company.
Let’s not forget that Trump has imposed incredibly high tariffs against China. He initially hoped that it would force China to come to the table for negotiations. However, it has had the opposite effect. China has not only refused but has doubled down on its tariffs against US companies.
So, like we said, even if there is a new deadline for the TikTok ban delay, we’re not sure if a sale can actually take place.
