Trump Mulls Over Extending TikTok Deadline
In a recent development, President-elect Donald Trump suggested on Saturday that he might consider granting TikTok an extra 90 days to reach a deal that could avert a ban on the popular video-sharing app in the United States.
During an interview with NBC News, Trump shared that while he hasn’t made a final decision yet, he is weighing the option of providing TikTok with a temporary extension following his inauguration on Monday. A law prohibiting mobile app stores and internet hosting services from distributing TikTok to American users is scheduled to take effect on Sunday.
The legislation, which was passed by Congress and signed into law by President Joe Biden last year, allowed TikTok’s Chinese parent company a nine-month window to divest its U.S. operations to a government-approved buyer. Additionally, the law empowers the sitting president to extend this deadline if a sale is still in progress.
In a phone interview with “Meet the Press” moderator Kristen Welker, Trump noted, “We could definitely consider that option. A 90-day extension appears to be a sensible approach, as it’s crucial to evaluate the situation thoroughly; it’s quite significant.”
He further added, “If I decide to go ahead with this, I’ll likely make an announcement on Monday.”
On Friday, White House Press Secretary Karine Jean-Pierre and Deputy Attorney General Lisa Monaco indicated that the Biden administration would defer the enforcement of this legislation to Trump, especially since his inauguration is set for the day following the enactment of the ban.
Later on that same day, TikTok released a statement seeking “clear assurance” that the Biden administration would not enforce the law or impose penalties on app store operators like Apple and Google, as well as other American businesses, if they continue to offer TikTok beyond Sunday.
Without such assurances, TikTok cautioned that it might have to “go dark.” However, the company did not specify whether this meant it would voluntarily shut down its U.S. platform at midnight or cease operations due to losing access to critical service providers.
In response to TikTok’s statement on Saturday, the White House dismissed it as “a publicity stunt.”
Jean-Pierre remarked, “There is no reason for TikTok or any other companies to take extreme actions in the days leading up to the Trump administration taking office on Monday. We have clearly stated our stance: the new administration will be tasked with implementing this law. Therefore, TikTok and other companies should direct their concerns toward them.”
As it stands, Apple, Google, and Oracle, the firm responsible for managing TikTok’s data on its servers, have not provided any updates regarding their plans for the upcoming Sunday.
