TikTok was supposed to be banned in the US earlier this year. However, after taking office for his second term, US President Donald Trump gave the app a stay of execution. Trump hoped to find a buyer for TikTok and reach a deal with China, but unfortunately, that hasn’t happened. So much so that, according to The Wall Street Journal, Trump is considering giving the TikTok ban its third extension.
TikTok ban gets a third extension
TikTok is actually on its second extension. That extension’s deadline is set to expire on June 19. However, given the state of things, it doesn’t look like the Trump administration is close to landing a deal with China. This is why the report claims that Trump is looking to give the TikTok ban a third extension. Keep in mind that nothing is official yet.
Trump hasn’t publicly announced his decision, so there’s a chance that TikTok could still face a ban come June 19. Also, the situation is a bit messy. Many names have been tossed into the hat for a potential TikTok buyer in the US. This includes companies like Oracle, Amazon, and Perplexity, just to name a few. Even famous YouTuber MrBeast has reportedly raised funds to launch a bid of his own.
China is probably the biggest obstacle
There is no shortage of potential buyers for TikTok. The social media platform is home to a billion users worldwide. That’s a billion eyeballs on ads and a treasure trove of information that can be used for marketing purposes. However, we feel that the biggest obstacle to a TikTok deal is China.
TikTok’s parent company, ByteDance, is based in China. China has strict laws regarding exporting its technology to other nations. The country has a list of what it considers to be “core” technologies, which are pieces of tech that cannot be sold or owned by a foreign entity. TikTok’s algorithm is on that list.
This means that unless the Chinese government is willing to make an exception to its rules, the US government could have difficulty convincing them to let TikTok go, especially to the US government and a US company.
The Trump administration has tried increasing tariffs to get China to relent, but that only served to tank the stock market. We’re not sure if extending the ban will serve a purpose. At this point, maybe it’s better to just give up and let TikTok off the hook.
2025-06-09 15:06:35