President Donald Trump issued a new executive order on Thursday, granting TikTok an additional 90 days to continue operating in the United States, providing more time for his administration to finalize a deal to be sold to a US entity – or banned from the country. This marks the third time Trump has extended the platform’s operating window.
Trump announced the extension on Truth Social on Thursday, emphasizing his desire to keep the app available to U.S. users, writing: “I’ve just signed the Executive Order extending the Deadline for the TikTok closing for 90 days (September 17, 2025). Thank you for your attention to this matter!”
TikTok has become a central part of Trump’s outreach, especially to younger voters—he joined the platform last year and has since gained more than 15 million followers. Back in January, he mentioned he has a “soft spot” for the app. White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt said in a statement on Thursday: “As he has said many times, President Trump does not want TikTok to go dark. This extension will last 90 days, which the administration will spend working to ensure this deal is closed so that the American people can continue to use TikTok with the assurance that their data is safe and secure.”
A congressionally mandated ban on the app was initially due to take effect on January 20; the app went dark for just 14 hours in the U.S. due to a national ban passed by Congress and upheld by the Supreme Court, before Trump issued a reprieve. The second delay occurred in April, during talks to restructure TikTok as a U.S.-owned entity. Those negotiations collapsed when China withdrew from the agreement following Trump’s announcement of new tariffs.
TikTok, owned by Chinese tech firm ByteDance, said in a statement: “We are grateful for President Trump’s leadership and support in ensuring that TikTok continues to be available for more than 170 million American users and 7.5 million U.S. businesses that rely on the platform as we continue to work with Vice President Vance’s Office.”
Public opinion on TikTok is divided; a new Pew Research Center poll found that only about one in three Americans currently support banning the app—a notable drop from 50% in support back in March 2023. Among those in favor of a ban, the vast majority (roughly 80%) pointed to serious concerns over data privacy and national security as their main motivation, according to Pew’s findings.
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