TikTok just got a lifeline—again. President Trump has granted the app a second 75-day extension to avoid a nationwide ban.
The clock’s ticking, but Trump says he’s hopeful: “We do not want TikTok to ‘go dark.’”
Owned by China’s ByteDance, TikTok has more than 170 million U.S. users. Under a law passed by Congress, ByteDance must sell its U.S. operations or face a shutdown.
Talks were close to wrapping, until Trump threw in a twist—massive global tariffs, including on China.
That move reportedly sent Beijing backing out of the near-final deal.
“There are key matters to be resolved,” ByteDance said, pointing to Chinese law and Trump’s surprise tariffs as major roadblocks.
While Washington pushes for a sale, Trump’s also dangling a trade offer: sell TikTok and maybe get some tariff relief.
Amazon is now reportedly interested, joining a packed field of potential buyers, including Reddit co-founder Alexis Ohanian, Microsoft, Blackstone, and even Perplexity AI.
Trump says four serious bidders are in talks, but hasn’t named names.
Bottom line? The app’s future in the U.S. hangs in the balance—somewhere between digital freedom and trade warfare.
