Trump Extends TikTok Shutdown Deadline Again After Reaching Framework Deal
President Donald Trump formally extended the deadline to keep the social media app TikTok available in the United States until Dec. 16, giving time to complete the framework of the deal announced Monday.
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President Trump has officially extended the deadline allowing TikTok to remain operational in the United States.
Washington:
President Donald Trump has officially extended the deadline for TikTok's continued availability in the United States until December 16, providing additional time to finalize the framework agreement announced Monday following discussions between American and Chinese government representatives.
Tuesday's executive order marks Trump's fourth extension beyond federal legal requirements for the China-linked social media platform to either sell its assets to an American company or face prohibition. The original congressional deadline was January 19 this year, just one day before Trump was sworn in for his second presidential term.
When questioned Tuesday about the framework agreement announced the previous day, Trump indicated he would discuss TikTok with Chinese President Xi Jinping during their Friday meeting. He mentioned that several companies are interested in acquiring the ByteDance-owned social media application, with details about potential buyers to be announced soon.
"I hate to see value like that thrown out the window," Trump remarked while departing the White House with first lady Melania Trump for their state visit to the United Kingdom.
The framework emerged from discussions in Madrid that concluded Monday, involving U.S. Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent, Chinese Vice Premier He Lifeng, and other officials.
Bessent informed reporters that the objective was to transfer TikTok's U.S. operations to American ownership, though he declined to elaborate on the framework's specifics.
Li Chenggang, China's international trade representative, told the press that both parties had reached a "basic framework consensus" to collaboratively resolve TikTok-related issues, reduce investment barriers, and promote economic and trade cooperation.
The U.S. president has grown more favorable toward TikTok and its continued operation based on the belief that it helped secure younger voters in the 2024 presidential election. Nevertheless, the law mandating its U.S. sale was founded on potential security concerns regarding the app's data collection practices.
The extended negotiations between the United States and China concerning TikTok might ultimately prove inconsequential as the platform's novelty has "slowly faded," according to Syracuse University political science professor Dimitar Gueorguiev in a statement.
"The U.S.–China deal on TikTok may look like a breakthrough, but it risks being a Pyrrhic victory," Gueorguiev said. "Its famous algorithm, once seen as uniquely powerful, has lost much of its mystique—copycat efforts show that the secret was not the code itself but TikTok's early-mover advantage and network effects. Any U.S. buyer is therefore purchasing market share and user base, not transformative technology."