WASHINGTON—President Trump gave TikTok another 90-day reprieve Thursday, issuing an executive order deferring enforcement of the 2024 law requiring the Chinese-controlled video app to be sold or shut down for national security reasons.
The TikTok ban was set to take effect on Jan. 19, but Trump has issued a series of extensions that have allowed the app to continue operating. The most recent extension expired Thursday.
The 2024 statute authorizes the president to issue a one-time enforcement extension of up to 90 days if he certifies to Congress that “binding legal agreements” are in place that will lead to TikTok’s sale. It is unclear whether that certification has been made or if other laws permit additional enforcement delays. At Thursday’s press briefing, White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt said that “the White House Counsel’s Office and the Department of Justice strongly believe in the legal rationale” for the third extension, but didn’t provide further details.
“The political reasoning for this, of course, is because the president made a promise to keep TikTok on. There are 100 million Americans who use this app,” Leavitt added. “He also wants to protect Americans’ data and privacy concerns on this app, and he believes we can do both things at the same time.”
Trump came to TikTok’s defense last year after recognizing the addictive social-media platform was an effective way to reach young voters. In his first term, however, Trump had unsuccessfully sought to close down the app or transfer control of certain features after national-security officials concluded TikTok harvests sensitive data from tens of millions of Americans and can use its algorithm to manipulate content to further Chinese political objectives.
TikTok parent ByteDance has been unwilling, to date, to cede control of American user data and other features that U.S. officials consider a threat to national security.
In April 2024, then-President Joe Biden signed bipartisan legislation requiring TikTok’s sale or closure, but the app and content creators who rely on it sued to strike the ban, arguing that depriving them of the platform violated free-speech rights.
The case went to the Supreme Court, which unanimously upheld the law on Jan. 17, three days before Trump took office. The court’s unsigned opinion acknowledged that “for more than 170 million Americans, TikTok offers a distinctive and expansive outlet for expression, means of engagement, and source of community. But Congress has determined that divestiture is necessary to address its well-supported national security concerns regarding TikTok’s data collection practices and relationship with a foreign adversary.”
Trump, then president-elect, filed a brief with the court arguing that his own “consummate dealmaking experience” would allow him to find a solution that preserved TikTok while addressing intelligence concerns.
The president has said he was open to an arrangement that transferred TikTok operations to Oracle , the software company whose co-founder Larry Ellison is Trump’s friend and political supporter.
In March, Vice President JD Vance told NBC News he hoped to have a deal in place before Trump’s first enforcement extension expired on April 5. That day came and went, and few developments have been reported since.
Write to Jess Bravin at Jess.Bravin@wsj.com
