It feels like TikTok’s clock never runs out.

President Donald Trump believes that the very popular social networking app would “probably” get another extension on the deadline to sell itself or risk a government ban.

“We probably need to gain China’s permission. Trump told the journalists on Air Force One on Tuesday, “I think we’ll get it.” “I believe President Xi will agree to it in the end.”

Also on Tuesday, White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt said in a statement that Trump will sign an executive order this week to set out the ban for another 90 days, which would mean it wouldn’t go into effect until mid-September.

The ban, which has been delayed for a long time, is theoretically supposed to start on Thursday. However, it might be postponed again by Trump or strike a deal to sell itself to a buyer that US authorities think is suitable. Originally, it was supposed to start in January, but Trump has put it out twice. He has said he likes TikTok and pledged not to take it away from Americans.

The Chinese government and TikTok have both been against selling the company’s US business for a long time, and it’s still not clear whether their stances have changed. Since Trump took office, his administration and China have also been in a trade war that has made things worse between the two nations and shook up global markets.

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Politicians from both parties have long been worried that TikTok may be a danger to national security and that the Chinese government could use it to spy on Americans or distribute false information to achieve China’s goals. TikTok still says such things aren’t true.

Last year, Congress enacted the bill that required the sale with strong backing from both parties. Then-President Joe Biden signed it into law. In January, the US Supreme Court upheld the statute, which free speech organizations and others had sought to repeal on First Amendment grounds.

So what’s going to happen next with TikTok? This is what you need to know.

What Happens Next in the US vs. TikTok

What does the law do?

The legislation wants ByteDance to sell TikTok to someone authorized by US authorities and make sure that ByteDance can’t get to US user data or manage the TikTok algorithm anymore.

TikTok had nine months to comply, which is why the initial selling date was January 19, 2025. At that time, the government could have ordered TikTok to take its app off US app stores and told other tech firms to cease supporting the app and website.

TikTok went down in the US on January 18 because of the ban, but it was back up the following morning when Trump promised not to implement it right away. Later, Trump made that pledge official by issuing an executive order that told the attorney general not to enforce the ban for 75 days. This pushed the date back to April 5.

Trump signed the second 75-day executive order just before the deadline. He said that “tremendous progress” had been made, but that no compromise had been reached. That delay, which moved the due date to June 19, wasn’t a surprise. Several people who may want to buy TikTok’s US business had shown interest in the days leading up to it, and Trump had been meeting with officials from his administration to talk about prospective transactions and ownership arrangements.

Read more: TikTok loves to provide money tips. But don’t believe everything you hear.

What does Trump think?

Trump originally called for a ban on TikTok during his first term as president. During his 2024 campaign, he stated he didn’t want a ban and promised to “save TikTok,” but he didn’t say how he would accomplish it.

Trump informed the press just before signing the second extension that “there’s a lot of interest in TikTok.” He also said that he would “like to see TikTok live.” The president also claimed that “we have a lot of potential buyers” and that his government is “working with China,” which has long been against a sale.

Trump suggested on March 26 that he would think about cutting tariffs on Chinese products if the Chinese government agreed to sell TikTok’s US business. He also said again that he would be happy to put the date back if necessary.

Trump has also suggested that the US might own half of the corporation as part of a joint venture, but he hasn’t said how that would operate.

Shou Chew, the CEO of TikTok, was one of several well-known tech CEOs who went to Trump’s inauguration in January, just hours before Trump would sign the order giving the 75-day extension.

Before that, in December, Trump had a news conference where he spoke about how TikTok helped him win the election by getting young people to vote for him.

Trump remarked, “TikTok had an effect, so we’re looking into it.” “I have a little bit of a warm spot in my heart.” I’m going to be honest.