President Donald Trump is poised to delay enforcement of a law requiring China’s ByteDance to sell or shut down TikTok’s U.S. operations, a source familiar with the matter told Reuters, deepening frustration in Washington as the popular app remains in limbo.
The US Congress mandated ByteDance’s divestiture out of concern that Beijing could use TikTok to surveil or manipulate Americans. But Trump has already granted three extensions since taking office in January, and a fourth delay would further test his willingness to challenge Beijing on an app used by 170 million Americans.
Trump’s public stance has been uneven. “I may or may not, we’re negotiating TikTok right now. We may let it die, or we may, I don’t know, it depends, up to China,” he told reporters Sunday. “It doesn’t matter too much. I’d like to do it for the kids.”
While lawmakers from both parties have pushed for a sale, Trump has said he wants to preserve the app. He has also claimed U.S. buyers are prepared to take over TikTok, though progress has been slowed by Beijing’s refusal to approve the transfer of the app’s algorithm. China blocked an earlier deal after Trump escalated tariffs on Chinese goods.
The White House did not comment on the expected extension. The delay comes as senior U.S. and Chinese officials, including Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent and Vice Premier He Lifeng, began trade talks in Spain on Sunday. TikTok will be part of the discussions, though no breakthrough is expected before September 17, the source said.
The app had not been included in earlier rounds of trade talks in Geneva, London or Stockholm. The source said its appearance on the agenda gives the administration political cover for another reprieve, even as Congress grows impatient with repeated delays.
