The clock is still ticking for TikTok as U.S. President Donald Trump announced an extension of the deadline for the popular social media platform to find a buyer in the United States. With reports about major retailers like Walmart considering bids, this situation remains fluid and contentious.
Today, Trump confirmed he’ll sign an executive order keeping TikTok operational in the U.S. for another 75 days. This latest development follows a tumultuous period. In January 2025, the U.S. Supreme Court upheld TikTok’s ban, leading to a brief blackout of the app.
The original deadline set by Trump was extended from April 4 to June 18, allowing more time for potential buyers to emerge amidst increasing scrutiny regarding national security risks tied to its ownership by ByteDance, a Chinese company.
Trump emphasized that he wants to “save TikTok”, citing “tremendous progress” in discussions with potential buyers but acknowledging that more time is necessary for a deal formulation. How this process will unfold remains uncertain as ByteDance asserts it won’t sell.
If a sale occurs, who could step into the role of owner? Notably, Activision founder Bobby Kotick has been assembling an investment group. The AI firm Perplexity also considered arrangements involving giving the U.S. government a 50% stake in TikTok. Microsoft appears interested again, too. They are just trying one more time to acquire TikTok as well.
The plot thickened recently when news broke that both Amazon and Walmart are contemplating bids or creating coalitions with other companies aiming to buy TikTok. ABC News noted that Walmart’s interest partly stems from wanting access to TikTok’s vast user base for product sales opportunities.
This ongoing saga surrounding Trump’s actions demonstrates how politics can deeply entwine with entertainment services and products. For instance, his newly introduced tariffs have forced Nintendo to delay Switch 2 preorders, raising concerns about potential price hikes on future console releases such as the Switch 2 due to these external pressures.
