Is TikTok Getting Banned on June 19? No, Donald Trump Is Extending It To This Month

TikTok has won third reprieve with 90-day extension announced just hours before June 19 deadline as US President Donald Trump once again pulled Chinese-owned app from the brink, that saves it from disappearing off American phones this Thursday.

The US President confirmed that he'll sign new orders keeping the TikTok alive until September this year, despite mounting Congressional pressure to enforce the ban that should have kicked in months ago. It marks Trump's third intervention since January to prevent what many lawmakers consider a genuine national security threat.

'A 90-Day Extension'

In a statement, the White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt said 'As he has said many times, President Trump does not want TikTok to go dark. This extension will last 90 days, which the Administration will work to ensure this deal is closed so that the American people can continue to use TikTok with the assurance that their data is safe and secure.'

It is worth noting that before the White House's statement, Trump told reporters during an Air Force flight that he was considering extending the platform's status in the United States.

'Probably, yeah,' Trump said when asked about extending the deadline. 'Probably have to get China approval but I think we'll get it. I think President Xi will ultimately approve it.'

How Many Times Did He Extend It?

With Trump's latest order to extend TikTok's availability until September, the president's orders to 'save' the platform from a potential US ban is now on its third instance.

The platform's ban initially took effect on January 19 this year, when it voluntarily went into 'blackout' amidst national security concerns by the US government over its parent company, ByteDance. Before his inauguration, Trump pledged that he would reverse the ban, which happened on his first day of office. In it, he extended the platform's availability for 75 days.

Following that, Trump extended the platform's status in the US for the second time in April, adding another 75 days. It was worth noting that the administration was nearing completion of a deal to sell Bytedance USA to new owners, but China withdrew its offer amidst a barrage of reciprocal tariffs from the administration.

Trump Benefiting from TikTok's Presence?

Trump has transformed TikTok from a target of bans into a key platform that amplifies his reach—especially amongst younger voters. After joining in June 2024 and gaining millions of followers in just 24 hours, he leveraged viral stunts—like the October revolutionary McDonald's video, which earned over 63 million views—to outperform rivals such as Kamala Harris.

His campaign's @TeamTrump account amassed billions of views (2.8 billion versus Democrats' ~670 million). Trump's reversal—delaying a TikTok ban via multiple executive‑order extensions—helped him retain this digital channel while portraying himself as the platform's 'saviour'.

With TikTok skewing Republican‑aligned content by nearly 12% during the 2024 race, Trump benefits from engineered virality and favourable algorithmic flow to magnify his political brand.

As September's new deadline approaches, the fundamental tensions remain unchanged: America wants Chinese ownership ended, China refuses to surrender control, and Trump continues betting he can somehow square this impossible circle.

Whether this third extension finally produces the elusive deal or merely kicks the problem down the road again may determine TikTok's ultimate fate—and test the limits of presidential power in an increasingly connected world.