United States President Donald Trump is set to issue yet another extension to the looming deadline for a potential sale or ban of TikTok's U.S. operations, marking the third such delay this year. This move, confirmed by the White House, pushes the decision back by another 90 days from its original expiry on Thursday, June 19, 2025. This series of extensions raises questions about the seriousness with which the original sale-or-ban law is being treated, particularly given its clear legislative mandate.

The current situation stems from a law passed by Congress last year, which stipulated that TikTok must find a new American owner or cease operations in the United States. In January, the U.S. Supreme Court upheld this law, leading to initial actions by app stores and service providers to pull support for the popular video-sharing application. However, shortly after, President Trump signed an executive order to delay the ban and explore a deal with ByteDance, TikTok's China-based parent company, to divest its U.S. business. This was followed by another 75-day extension issued on April 4.

President Trump's repeated extensions appear to override the specific language of the TikTok sale-or-ban law. The legislation explicitly allows for only a "1-time extension of not more than 90 days," and only if there is an actual deal in place, supported by "relevant binding legal agreements." The continued absence of a definitive agreement, largely due to the required approval from ByteDance and, crucially, the Chinese government, renders these extensions legally debatable. There have been reports of a potential deal earlier this spring involving a consortium of U.S. tech companies and investors to acquire a significant portion of TikTok's U.S. operations, but without Beijing's endorsement, the deal cannot proceed, especially amidst ongoing U.S.-China tariff disputes.

The lack of significant pushback from Congress, which overwhelmingly passed the original sale-or-ban bill due to perceived security threats from TikTok, is a particularly intriguing aspect of this unfolding saga. This apparent inaction leads to speculation that lawmakers may have other pressing concerns, or perhaps they initially believed the threat of a ban alone would compel a sale, thereby avoiding the current stalemate. Alternatively, some observers suggest that the initial concerns about TikTok's threat to U.S. security might not have been as serious as presented.

White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt affirmed the administration's stance, stating, “President Trump will sign an additional Executive Order this week to keep TikTok up and running. 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.” Despite the legal complexities and the ongoing geopolitical dance between the U.S. and China, the immediate reality is that TikTok remains operational in the United States, and it does not appear to be leaving anytime soon.