Overview

• President Trump signed an executive order granting ByteDance a third 90-day extension before a ban forces the sale of TikTok’s U.S. operations.
• White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt said the period will be used to finalize a deal maintaining TikTok service under strict U.S. user data protections.
• Trump affirmed that Beijing’s consent in the form of President Xi’s approval remains crucial to completing the divestiture.
• The extension stems from the Protecting Americans from Foreign Adversary Controlled Applications Act, which originally set a Jan. 19 deadline for U.S. divestment.
• Democratic lawmakers criticized the delay as exceeding presidential authority after a previous sale effort collapsed over Trump’s tariffs with China refusing to authorize a deal during the trade dispute.