TikTok’s days in the US are numbered unless parent company ByteDance strikes a deal to sell the social media platform by Saturday, April 5. That’s when President Trump’s extension for the company to be sold or shut down lapses. And unless he or Congress issues another extension or the company announces a buyer, it’s the end for TikTok and its 170 million US users.
US officials have long argued that the Chinese government, which is designated as a US adversary, could gain access to Americans’ TikTok user data for nefarious purposes or use the platform to spread propaganda.
According to Trump, several suitors are looking to get their hands on TikTok, though he hasn’t provided specifics. Bloomberg and The Information previously reported that Oracle (ORCL), which serves as TikTok’s cloud provider, is a frontrunner in the race.
Other parties seeking to scoop up the app include a group of investors led by Frank McCourt. Microsoft (MSFT) and Walmart (WMT) tried to buy TikTok in 2020 but were unsuccessful.
Trump has also recently floated the idea of pulling back some of his tariffs on China if it helps push that country’s government to support the TikTok sale, Reuters reported.
Read more: What Trump’s tariffs mean for the economy and your wallet
Trump called for a ban on TikTok during his first term in office but changed his stance during the 2024 election, saying that it serves as a bulwark against Meta’s (META) social media dominance. Trump has a contentious history with Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg. The CEO banned Trump from his platforms following the Jan. 6 attack on the Capitol, and Trump later threatened to jail Zuckerberg.
Trump has also credited TikTok for drawing young voters to his reelection effort.
Congress initially passed and former President Biden signed the law banning TikTok in 2024. The legislation calls for TikTok parent company ByteDance to divest itself of the social network. If it doesn’t, US cloud providers and app stores are required to stop hosting the service or face steep fines.
TikTok challenged the ban in the US Supreme Court, arguing that it infringed on the company’s First Amendment and other constitutional rights. A group of TikTok users made similar claims in a companion case, claiming they also had been deprived of constitutional protections.
But the court ruled in favor of the government, reasoning that TikTok, as a foreign entity, wasn’t entitled to constitutional protections and that national security concerns outweighed the government’s restriction on TikTok use. The court also said the law was limited in its infringement on free speech because social media users could access and post on other social media platforms.
