Trump says he will ‘most likely’ give TikTok a 90-day extension
The US president-elect will probably announce the move on Monday, he said in an interview
Hours before a deadline that would require TikTok to be divested or shut down, the incoming White House administration offered a lifeline to the widely used video-sharing app – in contrast to last-minute criticism from the outgoing Biden administration.
President-elect Donald Trump said on Saturday he would “most likely” give TikTok a 90-day reprieve from the law, giving Chinese-owned parent company ByteDance more time to find a buyer. Trump also told NBC in an exclusive interview that he’d probably announce it on Monday, after he is sworn in.
The law passed in April gives ByteDance until January 19 to divest TikTok or be shut down. After the Supreme Court upheld the law on Friday, TikTok warned it would “go dark” on Sunday without any clear signals from the current White House occupant, President Joe Biden.
White House Press Secretary Karine Jean-Pierre, who on Friday said that the timing of the Supreme Court ruling dictates that they leave this decision to their successor, called TikTok’s threat to shut itself off “a stunt” in a statement on Saturday.
But Trump has said he doesn’t want to shut down the app, which he credits with helping him improve his standing with young voters, and is working to figure out a way around the law. The law passed with broad Republican support and was designed to address national security concerns.
“I think that would be, certainly, an option that we look at. The 90-day extension is something that will be most likely done, because it’s appropriate,” Trump said, according to NBC. “We have to look at it carefully. It’s a very big situation.”
