US lawmakers write to President Donald Trump, ask White House to extend TikTok sale deadline

Three Democratic senators have called on the White House to obtain congressional approval to extend the deadline for ByteDance, the Chinese owner of TikTok, to sell the app’s U.S. operations and avoid a potential ban. According to a Reuters report, Senators Ed Markey, Chris Van Hollen, and Cory Booker have written to President Donald Trump, urging him to back legislation that would extend the sale deadline to October. The law, passed last year, requires ByteDance to sell a majority stake to U.S. owners or face a ban in the country.

Trump had previously extended the deadline from January 19 to April 5 and indicated last month that he could push it further to allow more time for a deal. The senators criticized the administration’s approach, saying, “This non-enforcement of the TikTok ban was not only unlawful but also raised serious questions about TikTok’s future.”