US President Donald Trump on Thursday signed an executive order that allowed TikTok to operate in the State for another 90 days.He disclosed the executive order on the social media platform Truth Social on Thursday morning. In his post he said, “I’ve just signed the Executive Order extending the Deadline for the TikTok closing for 90 days (September 17, 2025). Thank you for your attention to this matter!”This move will give his administration more time to negotiate a deal that will allow the social media platform to come under American ownership.In a statement on Tuesday, White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt said “As he has said many times, President Trump does not want TikTok to go dark. This extension will last 90 days, which the administration will spend working to ensure this deal is closed so that the American people can continue to use TikTok with the assurance that their data is safe and secure.”This is the third time Trump has extended the deadline. The first extension was done by his administration through an executive order on January 20, after he assumed the office in the second term. The second extension happened in April when White House officials thought they were close to a deal to turn TikTok into a new company with US owners. However, the deal fell apart after China pulled out following Trump’s announcement of new tariffs.It is not clear how many times Trump will extend the deadline as the government is trying to negotiate a deal for TikTok, which is owned by China’s ByteDance. Trump has gained over 15 million followers on TikTok since he joined last year. He believes the popular app has helped him connect with young voters. In January, he said he has a “soft spot for TikTok.”With the third extension, it now seems less likely that TikTok will be banned in the US anytime soon. The decision to postpone the TikTok ban extension through an executive order has received criticism. However, unlike Trump’s other executive orders, it has not faced any legal challenge in court. For now, TikTok will continue to operate for its 170 million users in the US. Big tech companies like Apple, Google and Oracle will keep supporting the app. They’re doing this based on a promise from Trump’s Justice Department that it won’t use the law to go after them with heavy fines for working with TikTok.According to a recent Pew Research Center survey, about one-third of Americans said they supported a TikTok ban. Around one-third said they are against the ban while a similar number said they are unsure.The report further revealed that those who supported banning the platform expressed concerns over users’ data security being at risk as a major factor in their decision.Democratic Senator Mark Warner of Virginia, vice chair of the Senate Intelligence Committee, noted that the Trump administration is once again “flouting the law and ignoring its own national security findings about the risks” of TikTok being controlled by China.“An executive order can’t sidestep the law, but that’s exactly what the president is trying to do,” Warner added.
