Trump Signals Possible 90-Day Extension for TikTok to Avert U.S. Ban

President-elect Donald Trump announced Saturday that he is “most likely” to grant TikTok a 90-day extension to finalize a deal that would allow the video-sharing platform to avoid a U.S. ban.

In an interview with NBC News, Trump stated he had not yet made a final decision but was considering providing TikTok with a reprieve after his inauguration on Monday. A law barring mobile app stores and internet hosting services from supporting TikTok in the U.S. is set to take effect on Sunday.

The legislation, passed by Congress and signed into law by President Joe Biden last year, required TikTok’s China-based parent company to sell its U.S. operations to an approved buyer within nine months. However, the law grants the sitting president authority to issue an extension if progress toward a sale is evident.

“I think that would be, certainly, an option that we look at. The 90-day extension is something that will most likely happen because it’s appropriate. You know, it’s appropriate,” Trump told Meet the Press moderator Kristen Welker in a phone interview. “We have to look at it carefully. It’s a very big situation.”

Trump indicated that if he decides to proceed with the extension, an official announcement would likely come on Monday.