3 hours ago
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Jessica Murphy
BBC News, Toronto
US President Donald Trump has granted TikTok a second 75-day extension to comply with a law that requires the hugely popular video app to either sell its US assets or face a ban in the country.
"We do not want TikTok to 'go dark'," Trump wrote on Truth Social on Friday. "We look forward to working with TikTok and China to close the Deal," The platform is currently owned by Chinese company ByteDance.
Trump's first extension took effect in January and was set to expire on Saturday.
The social media platform, which has more than 170 million users in the US, initially went dark for several hours before Trump took office as the app prepared to shutter in the US after a law passed by Congress.
In a statement on Friday, ByteDance said it has been in discussion with the Trump administration but "an agreement has not been executed".
"There are key matters to be resolved. Any agreement will be subject to approval under Chinese law," a spokesperson said.
The Biden administration had argued that TikTok could be used by China as a tool for spying and political manipulation.
Congress passed a bipartisan law last year that gave ByteDance six months to sell its controlling stake in TikTok or see the app blocked in the US.
Opponents of a ban have cited freedom of speech as a reason for keeping the platform open.
The new extension comes as the Trump administration tries to broker a deal to bring the social media platform under American ownership, and keep the popular app running in the US.
"The Deal requires more work to ensure all necessary approvals are signed," Trump wrote.
Reports suggest several potential buyers for TikTok have cropped up in recent days.
Amazon has put in a last-minute offer to the White House to acquire the platform, according to the BBC's US partner CBS, though the firm has declined comment.
Several other potential buyers include billionaire Frank McCourt, together with Canadian businessman Kevin O'Leary. Alexis Ohanian, who co-founded Reddit, has said he has joined Mr McCourt's bid.
Computing giant Microsoft, private equity giant Blackstone, venture capital firm Andreessen Horowitz and search engine Perplexity AI are also reportedly in the running for a stake.
Trump has said his administration was in touch with four separate groups interested in a potential TikTok deal, though he has not named them.
Vice-President JD Vance is spearheading the administration's effort to find a buyer, Bloomberg reported.
The president has also suggested the US could offer a deal where China agrees to approve a TikTok sale in exchange for relief from US tariffs on Chinese imports.
China now faces a 54% tariff on goods imported into the United States and has retaliated with 34% in counter tariffs.
"We hope to continue working in Good Faith with China, who I understand are not very happy about our Reciprocal Tariffs," Trump wrote on Truth Social.
He added that the trade levies are "the most powerful economic tool, and every important to our national security".
