US President Donald Trump has declared he may allow TikTok to “die” in the United States as a critical deadline for the social media platform’s sale or shutdown approaches. His comments introduce new uncertainty for the app’s millions of American users and its Chinese parent company, ByteDance.
What Did Donald Trump Say?
Speaking to reporters in New Jersey on Sunday, President Trump was noncommittal about granting another extension for a deal to restructure TikTok’s U.S. operations. “I may or may not. We are negotiating TikTok right now. We may let it die, or we may…I don’t know. It depends on China,” he said.
He acknowledged the app’s popularity, particularly among younger voters, adding, “It doesn’t matter too much. I would love to do it for the kids, they like it.”
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What is the Current Deadline?
The current operating deadline for TikTok is September 17. If President Trump extends it, this would mark the fourth reprieve he has granted since taking office.
The original law, passed before his term, gave ByteDance until January 2025 to divest its U.S. assets or face a ban. President Trump has repeatedly pushed this deadline back, first to early April, then to June, and most recently to the current September date.
Why is a Deal So Complicated?
A deal has been stalled for months due to a major sticking point: TikTok’s core algorithm. Any potential sale of the app’s U.S. operations to American investors would likely involve sharing this prized technology.
However, the Chinese government has indicated it will not approve the transfer of the algorithm, which it classifies as a key technology. This stance hardened after the Trump administration announced steep new tariffs on Chinese goods this spring, effectively putting a proposed deal on hold.
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What is the Proposed Solution?
The framework of a potential deal, negotiated in the spring, involved spinning off TikTok’s U.S. operations into a new, independent U.S.-based company. This new entity would be majority-owned and operated by U.S. investors, theoretically alleviating national security concerns that Beijing could harness the app for spying or censorship.
Despite these concerns, President Trump has previously expressed a desire to “save” the app, which he used effectively to woo young voters during the 2024 presidential campaign. He claimed last month to have U.S. buyers lined up, but progress has been slow.
The President’s latest comments suggest a deal is far from certain, leaving the future of one of the world’s most popular social media platforms in doubt.
