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White House Pushes Back TikTok Deadline, Seeks Deal With China

By  |  September 17, 2025

President Donald Trump has formally extended the deadline to keep TikTok operating in the United States until December 16, according to NBC News. The move provides additional time to finalize the framework of a deal reached earlier this week during talks between U.S. and Chinese officials.

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    The executive order signed Tuesday marks the fourth time Trump has delayed the enforcement of a law requiring TikTok’s China-based parent company, ByteDance, to sell its U.S. operations or face a ban. The original deadline, established by Congress, was set for January 19 of this year — just one day before Trump began his second term in office, per NBC News.

    Speaking to reporters on Tuesday, Trump reiterated that he would raise the TikTok issue with Chinese President Xi Jinping during their upcoming discussion on Friday. He has emphasized that several companies remain interested in acquiring the platform and suggested that details about potential buyers would be revealed soon. “I hate to see value like that thrown out the window,” Trump said before departing the White House for a state visit to the United Kingdom with First Lady Melania Trump.

    Related: Trump Signals Progress in US-China Trade Talks, Suggests Deal on TikTok

    The preliminary deal emerged following meetings in Madrid between U.S. Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent and Chinese Vice Premier He Lifeng, among others. Bessent explained that the main objective is to transition TikTok’s American assets to U.S. ownership, though he declined to elaborate on specific terms. In a separate briefing, China’s international trade representative Li Chenggang confirmed that both sides had achieved a “basic framework consensus” aimed at resolving TikTok-related concerns while also easing investment restrictions and expanding trade cooperation.

    Trump’s willingness to keep TikTok operational has been tied to its popularity among younger voters, which he believes contributed to his 2024 election victory, according to NBC News. Still, the U.S. law requiring its sale rests on concerns over potential national security risks tied to the app’s data collection practices.

    Experts caution that the drawn-out negotiations may not significantly alter TikTok’s long-term trajectory. Syracuse University political scientist Dimitar Gueorguiev noted that the app’s once-celebrated algorithm has lost much of its edge. “The U.S.–China deal on TikTok may look like a breakthrough, but it risks being a Pyrrhic victory,” Gueorguiev said. He added that with competitors replicating its features, any American buyer would be purchasing market share rather than breakthrough technology.

    Source: NBC News