President Trump will signal one other government order this week extending the deadline for TikTok’s guardian firm to divest the video sharing app, White Home press secretary Karoline Leavitt stated Tuesday.
“As he has said many times, President Trump does not want TikTok to go dark,” Leavitt stated in a press release shared with The Hill. “This extension will final 90 days, which the Administration will spend working to make sure this deal is closed in order that the American folks can proceed to make use of TikTok with the peace of mind that their knowledge is protected and safe.”
Leavitt’s affirmation got here simply hours after Trump stated earlier within the day he would doubtless prolong the divesture deadline to forestall a ban on TikTok from taking impact in america.
When requested whether or not he would give the favored video-sharing platform one other extension, the president advised reporters aboard Air Drive One, “Probably, yeah.”
“Probably have to get China approval, but I think we’ll get it,” Trump stated as he traveled again from the Group of Seven summit in Canada. “I think President Xi [Jinping] will ultimately approve it.”
The anticipated order will mark the third extension from Trump since he took workplace in January.
The legislation requiring TikTok’s China-based guardian firm ByteDance to divest from the platform or face a ban on U.S. networks and app shops was signed by former President Biden final 12 months.
The legislation initially went into impact on Jan. 19 — the day earlier than Trump was sworn into his second time period — inflicting the platform to go darkish for just a few hours after the Supreme Courtroom upheld the divest-or-ban legislation.
However the platform was rapidly introduced again on-line after Trump pledged to difficulty an government order as soon as again in workplace to provide the corporate an extension.
The president made good on that promise, giving TikTok’s Chinese language guardian firm ByteDance 75 days past the preliminary January deadline to divest kind the platform amid nationwide safety issues.
The White Home finalized a deal on TikTok in early April, however it fell aside when Trump introduced sweeping new “reciprocal” tariffs, together with vital import taxes on Chinese language items.
The president prolonged the TikTok deadline by one other 75 days, which was set to run out on June 19.
Brett Samuels contributed reporting.
