President Donald Trump has extended the TikTok enforcement delay for another three months, pushing the deadline to December 16 through an executive order.
The move marks the third extension since Trump took office in January, giving the popular video-sharing app more breathing room as negotiations over its Chinese ownership continue.
The order directs the Department of Justice to take no enforcement action against companies distributing or maintaining TikTok during this period. It also shields entities from penalties for any past noncompliance dating back to January 19.
Attorney General guidance will confirm that “there has been no violation of the statute” during the extension periods. The order explicitly bars state and private party enforcement attempts, calling them “an encroachment on the powers of the Executive.”
Trump initially paused enforcement of the Protecting Americans from Foreign Adversary Controlled Applications Act on January 20, his first day in office. Further extensions came in April and June.
The law, passed under the previous administration in 2024, aimed to force the sale of or ban TikTok’s operation in the United States due to national security concerns.
The White House announced on Tuesday that a framework deal for the sale of the social video platform was reached during trade talks with China in Spain over the weekend; however, further discussions are needed to finalize the deal, according to the Associated Press.
The app’s parent company, ByteDance, is based in China.
Bills aiming to repeal the TikTok ban altogether have been introduced in both the U.S. House (H.R. 564) and Senate (S.153) during the current legislative session, but no vote has been taken on either bill.