The long saga of the TikTok ban continues. First, the ban was set to go into effect on January 9. Then, It was April 5. Now, it’s June 19. Whenever TikTok’s “ban or sell” deadline approaches, President Donald Trump grants yet another extension. While these extensions mean that TikTok is safe for now, they’re far from a permanent solution.
However, that hasn’t stopped Trump from suggesting that he’s willing to extend it once again. During a May 4 interview on NBC’s ‘Meet the Press,’ Trump confirmed he was willing to implement another executive order if the deadline isn’t met.
“Perhaps I shouldn’t say this, but I have a little warm spot in my heart for TikTok,” he added. “I have a little sweet spot in my heart because I won young people by 36 points…and I focused on TikTok.”
It’s worth noting that these extensions don’t cancel the law — it just means that the government won’t enforce it. Still, Trump told NBC that the app “will be protected.”
Previously, as we approached the April 5 deadline, the TikTok deal was practically done and dusted. However, it all fell apart when Trump raised trade tariffs in China, which led to the country pulling out at the last minute.
This isn’t the only problem TikTok has had lately. Recently, the app was fined $600 million (530 million €) because it transferred EU users’ data to China. Clearly, the US isn’t the only country concerned by TikTok’s data security — but if they want to follow suit, it’s become clear that they shouldn’t take a leaf out of Trump’s book.
