President Donald Trump hinted that TikTok’s future in the country depends on China. As the deadline approaches for the short-video app to cease operations in U.S. territory.
It’s worth remembering that Congress approved a ban on TikTok in the United States unless its parent company, ByteDance, sold its controlling stake. But Trump has extended the deadline three times during his second term, with the latest extension set to expire on September 17.
Previously, Joe Biden signed a law requiring TikTok’s Chinese parent company to sell the app or face a ban in the country. However, Trump’s victory paused that rule, partly because the app was a key ally in the Republican’s campaign to younger voters.
For that reason, upon returning to the White House, he signed the first extension through an executive order on January 20, his first day in office, after the platform briefly suspended its activities when a nationwide ban took effect. The ban was approved by Congress and upheld by the Supreme Court.
The second extension came in April, when White House officials believed they were close to a deal to spin off TikTok into a new company with U.S. ownership. That fell apart after China pulled out following Trump’s announcement of tariffs.
As the third extension nears its end, Trump was questioned in New Jersey before returning to Washington about the issue and explained: “Maybe we’ll let it die, or maybe… I don’t know, it depends. It depends on China.”
The legal deadline for Chinese company ByteDance to sell TikTok or for the app to stop operating in the United States is next Wednesday. Experts view this as unlikely, especially since the White House recently launched an official channel on the app.
Given the context, the platform’s future is one of the central topics in talks that began this Sunday in Madrid. Between U.S. Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent and Chinese Vice Premier He Lifeng, which also aim to advance toward a tariff agreement.
Image: Opinion
