U.S. President Donald Trump has already extended the deadline for the sale of TikTok’s U.S. business several times. According to a Reuters report, he is now expected to push the September 17 cutoff once again. This would be the fourth delay under a law that requires ByteDance, TikTok’s Chinese parent, to either divest its U.S. assets or shut down the app. The repeated extensions highlight how difficult it is to ban an app used by more than 170 million Americans.
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Trump Sends Mixed Signals
Trump has spoken with uncertainty about TikTok’s future. Last month, he said U.S. buyers were ready to take over the app. But speaking to reporters on September 14, he remarked, “We may let it die, or we may, I don’t know, it depends, up to China.” A plan earlier this year would have created a U.S.-controlled TikTok entity, but it collapsed after China refused to approve the deal following Trump’s move to raise tariffs on Chinese goods.
Trade Talks Tie Into TikTok
The deadline is now linked to wider U.S.–China trade talks. Over the weekend, Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent and Trade Representative Jamieson Greer met Chinese officials in Madrid, with TikTok formally added to the agenda for the first time. A deal is not expected before September 17, adding to the uncertainty. Any resolution will depend on talks between U.S. buyers, ByteDance, and Chinese regulators.
Impact on U.S. Tech Stocks
The delay adds uncertainty for TikTok’s U.S. rivals, Meta Platforms (META) and Snap (SNAP). If ByteDance holds on to TikTok, these companies will continue to face strong competition in short-form video. However, if TikTok is eventually sold or restricted, U.S. firms could benefit from less competition.
What Is the Best Social Media Stock to Buy?
For investors interested in investing in the Social Media sector, we have rounded up the best stocks to buy in this sector, using the TipRanks Stocks Comparison tool. Analysts are most bullish on Meta (META) and Pinterest (PINS), both of which carry a Strong Buy rating. Among the two, Pinterest offers the highest upside potential from its current price.
