Trump extends TikTok deadline for third time

WASHINGTON: U.S. President Donald Trump volition widen a June 19 deadline for China-based ByteDance to divest the U.S. assets of abbreviated video app TikTok for 90 days contempt a instrumentality that mandated a merchantability oregon shutdown absent important progress, the White House said connected Tuesday.

Trump had already doubly granted a reprieve from enforcement of a congressionally mandated prohibition connected TikTok that was expected to instrumentality effect successful January. “President Trump volition motion an further enforcement bid this week to support TikTok up and running,“ White House property caput Karoline Leavitt said Tuesday.

That would widen the deadline to mid-September.

“President Trump does not privation TikTok to spell dark,“ she added, saying the medication volition walk the adjacent 3 months making definite the merchantability closes truthful that Americans tin support utilizing TikTok with the assurance that their information is harmless and secure.

Trump said successful May helium would widen the June 19 deadline aft the app helped him with young voters successful the 2024 election.

Earlier connected Tuesday, helium had told reporters connected Air Force One helium expected to again widen the deadline.

“Probably, yeah,“ Trump said erstwhile asked astir extending the deadline. “Probably person to get China support but I deliberation we’ll get it. I deliberation President Xi volition yet o.k. it.”

The instrumentality required TikTok to halt operating by January 19 unless ByteDance had completed divesting the app’s U.S. assets oregon demonstrated important advancement toward a sale.

Trump began his 2nd word arsenic president connected January 20 and opted not to enforce it. He archetypal extended the deadline to aboriginal April, and past again past period to June 19.

In March, Trump said helium would beryllium consenting to trim tariffs connected China to get a woody done with TikTok’s Chinese genitor ByteDance to merchantability the abbreviated video app utilized by 170 cardinal Americans.

A woody had been successful the works this outpouring that would rotation disconnected TikTok’s U.S. operations into a caller U.S.-based steadfast and majority-owned and operated by U.S. investors, but it was enactment connected clasp aft China indicated it would not o.k. it pursuing Trump’s announcements of steep tariffs connected Chinese goods.

Democratic senators reason that Trump has nary ineligible authorization to widen the deadline, and suggest that the woody nether information would not conscionable ineligible requirements.