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President-Elect Donald Trump has announced that he will “most likely” grant TikTok a 90-day extension to comply with a federal law requiring its Chinese parent company, ByteDance, to divest its US operations or face a nationwide ban.
Some shit you should know before you read: Last year, Congress passed the “Protecting Americans from Foreign Adversary Controlled Applications Act” with bipartisan support, addressing widespread concerns about the potential national security risks posed by TikTok’s Chinese ownership. The law, later signed by President Biden, requires TikTok’s parent company, ByteDance, to either divest its US operations or face an outright ban, based on fears that the Chinese government could exploit the platform’s algorithm to manipulate information and access sensitive user data from millions of Americans. Recently, President-elect Donald Trump requested the Supreme Court to pause the law’s implementation, arguing that the forced sale would be premature and that more time would be needed to negotiate a political resolution. Ultimately, the Supreme Court said it would not delay the law’s implementation and signaled that it would uphold the divesture of its Chinese ownership or face a ban.

What’s going on now: During an interview with NBC’s Meet the Press, President-Elect Donald Trump stated that he is “most likely” to grant TikTok a 90-day extension to address its divestment requirements once he takes office on Monday. Trump explained that while he has not made a final decision, granting the extension would allow more time to carefully assess the situation. “The 90-day extension is something that will be most likely done, because it’s appropriate. You know, it’s appropriate. We have to look at it carefully. It’s a very big situation,” he said during the interview. Trump added, “If I decide to do that, I’ll probably announce it on Monday.” The extension, permitted under the bipartisan law passed last year, would provide additional time for TikTok’s Chinese parent company, ByteDance, to sell its U.S. operations and avoid a federal ban.
The Biden administration, which signed the law in April 2022 but deferred its enforcement to Trump’s incoming administration, has remained firm that any action on TikTok will fall under Trump’s leadership. Outgoing White House Press Secretary Karine Jean-Pierre dismissed TikTok’s warnings of a potential shutdown as a “stunt,” reiterating that there was no reason for the company to take immediate action before the transition of power. “We have laid out our position clearly and straightforwardly: actions to implement this law will fall to the next administration. So TikTok and other companies should take up any concerns with them,” Jean-Pierre said in a statement.
This all comes as concerns are being raised about the potential economic impact of a TikTok ban, with some noting that roughly 5% of TikTok’s US user base consists of “full-time creators” who rely on the platform for their livelihoods. These creators, many of whom earn income through brand partnerships, sponsored content, and merchandise sales, argue that losing access to TikTok would disrupt their businesses and leave them scrambling to rebuild their audiences on other platforms.