President-elect Donald Trump said in an interview on Saturday that he is ‘likely’ to grant TikTok a 90-day extension to avoid a ban in the United States.
The app is set to go dark on Sunday due to a bipartisan congressional law that ordered TikTok to cut ties with China-based parent company ByteDance.
The outgoing Biden administration said Friday that it was leaving enforcement of the TikTok ban in the hands of the Trump administration. Trump, who called for a TikTok ban during his first administration, has credited the app with helping him improve his standing among the younger voters in the 2024 election.
“I think that would be, certainly, an option that we look at. The 90-day extension is something that will be most likely done, because it’s appropriate. You know, it’s appropriate. We have to look at it carefully. It’s a very big situation,” Trump said.
“If I decide to do that, I’ll probably announce it on Monday,” he added.
TikTok’s fate has been a major talking point in the final days of the Biden administration as the nearly 170 million U.S. users are eagerly awaiting a decision.
Trump did not provide further details on how an extension could be enacted.
The Biden administration has repeatedly said it does not plan to enforce the law, passing the responsibility onto the Trump administration beginning Monday. However, TikTok confirmed that it plans to go dark on Sunday unless the Biden administration and the Department of Justice provide more clarity regarding the ban, which goes into effect that same day.
White House press secretary Karine Jean-Pierre called TikTok’s plans to go dark “a stunt” in a statement Saturday morning.
“We have seen the most recent statement from TikTok. It is a stunt, and we see no reason for TikTok or other companies to take actions in the next few days before the Trump Administration takes office on Monday,” she said.
“We have laid out our position clearly and straightforwardly: actions to implement this law will fall to the next administration. So TikTok and other companies should take up any concerns with them,” she said.
On Friday, the Supreme Court upheld the law, rejecting the app’s free speech arguments in an unsigned opinion.
“The Supreme Court decision was expected, and everyone must respect it. My decision on TikTok will be made in the not too distant future, but I must have time to review the situation. Stay tuned,” Trump wrote on Truth Social after the ruling.

