Trump says he will ‘probably’ extend TikTok ban deadline if deal isn’t reached

Washington:  US President Donald Trump has said he would “probably” extend the timeline for a TikTok sale if a deal isn’t reached by the initial deadline.

When asked by a reporter if he plans to extend the TikTok ban deadline if a deal is not hammered out in time, Trump said, “Probably, yeah.”

“We have a lot of interest in TikTok,” Trump said during Oval Office remarks on Thursday, adding that China will play a role in the decision.

He did not say how long an extension would be if one was needed.

“Right now we have at least another month, so we don’t need an extension,” he said.

“But if I needed an extension, I’d probably get an extension.”

A law signed last April under the Biden administration requires the popular China-owned social media app to be sold to an owner in the US or one of its allies or face a ban because of national security concerns.

Trump signed an executive order on January 20 that gives TikTok parent company ByteDance another 75 days to find a new owner.

The comments come as uncertainty looms over TikTok’s future in what has been a turbulent couple of months for the app.

TikTok briefly shut down for around 12 hours in January before Trump signed the executive order extending the sale deadline.

Although the app was quickly restored, it didn’t reappear in Google and Apple’s app stores until mid-February.

The social media platform was quickly brought back online after Trump pledged to issue an executive order once back in office to give the company an extension. The President made good on that promise, giving ByteDance until April 5 to hammer out a divesture deal.

Numerous buyers have expressed interest in purchasing the US arm of TikTok. The list includes bids from YouTube star MrBeast and a joint proposal from former Los Angeles Dodgers owner Frank McCourt and “Shark Tank” star and investor Kevin O’Leary.

Trump has floated numerous other names like his ally Elon Musk and Oracle founder Larry Ellison.

The President noted on Thursday the deadline is still about a month away, “so we don’t need an extension.”

The prospect of selling TikTok appeared dead in the water under the Biden administration after TikTok and ByteDance repeatedly said any sort of divestment was not a feasible option.

The Chinese government, however, has increasingly signalled a potential change of heart on the deal, though it is unclear if any specific bid has made notable progress.

–IANS