U.S. President Donald Trump signed an executive order extending TikTok’s U.S. operations by 75 days as his administration continues to negotiate a deal that would bring the popular social media platform under American ownership. The extension, announced on Friday, April 4, comes after Beijing paused negotiations following Trump’s implementation of wide-ranging tariffs.

Deal Framework Faces Last-Minute Hurdles

White House officials believed they were nearing an agreement that would spin off TikTok’s U.S. operations into a new American-based company. The proposed structure would give U.S. investors majority ownership while allowing China’s ByteDance to maintain a minority position.

“My administration has been working very hard on a deal to save TikTok, and we have made tremendous progress,” Trump wrote on Truth Social. “The deal requires more work to ensure all necessary approvals are signed, which is why I am signing an Executive Order to keep TikTok up and running for an additional 75 days.”

The framework includes a 120-day closing period to finalize paperwork and financing. Both existing and new investors, ByteDance, and the administration had approved the proposed deal structure before recent complications.

As NBC News reports, ByteDance representatives informed the White House Thursday that China would not approve the deal until there could be negotiations regarding trade and tariffs. This reversal occurred immediately after Trump announced sweeping tariffs affecting global imports, including those from China.

“We hope to continue working in Good Faith with China, who I understand are not very happy about our Reciprocal Tariffs,” Trump added in his post. “This proves that Tariffs are the most powerful Economic tool, and very important to our National Security!”

On Sunday, April 6, the President told reporters onboard Air Force One that he won’t back down on his sweeping tariffs on imports from most of the world unless countries even out their trade with the U.S., also sharing details about the TikTok negotiations.

“We were pretty close to a deal for TikTok,” Trump stated. “And then China changed the deal because of tariffs. If I gave a little cut in tariffs, they’d have approved that deal in 15 minutes, which shows you the power of tariffs.”

ByteDance Confirms Ongoing Negotiations

A ByteDance spokesperson acknowledged discussions with the U.S. government regarding a “potential solution” but noted that “an agreement has not been executed” and “there are key matters to be resolved.” The company also specified that “any agreement will be subject to approval under Chinese law.”

U.S. Vice President JD Vance, who leads negotiations alongside National Security Adviser Michael Waltz, had expressed confidence earlier last week that a framework would be in place by the original April 5 deadline. Vance’s team has spent nearly two months negotiating directly with potential investors and ByteDance officials.

Potential Bidders Express Interest

The extended deadline provides additional time for potential U.S. buyers to refine their offers. Numerous parties have expressed interest in acquiring TikTok, including:

• AppLovin, whose CEO Adam Foroughi described their bid as a “much stronger bid than others,” proposing a merger between AppLovin and TikTok’s global business
• Amazon
• Wyoming entrepreneur Reid Rasner
• Reddit co-founder Alexis Ohanian, in partnership with billionaire investor Frank McCourt
• AI search engine startup Perplexity AI
• Former Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin

AppLovin CEO Foroughi characterized their proposal as a “partnership” that would allow Chinese participation in the upside while AppLovin would operate the platform. “If you pair our algorithm with the TikTok audience, the expansion on that platform for dollars spent will be through the roof,” Foroughi said in a statement.

Legal and National Security Implications

The extension marks Trump’s second delay in enforcing the 2024 law that mandated ByteDance to divest TikTok by January 19, 2025, or face a U.S. ban. Security experts emphasized that national security concerns will persist if ByteDance maintains control of TikTok’s algorithm.

“The main reason for all this is the control of data and the control of the algorithm,” Chris Pierson, CEO of cybersecurity platform BlackCloak, said in a statement. “If neither of those two things change, then it has not changed the underlying purpose, and it has not changed the underlying risks.”