The Bazaarclock is ticking for TikTok. Or is it? Donald Trump doesn’t seem to know.
Trump hadsigned an executive orderin early August requiring the app sever ties with its Chinese parent company, ByteDance, or face a ban in the U.S. But he doesn't seem clear on the timing of a deadline he set himself, based on what he said while speakingto reporters on Thursday evening.
"We'll either close up TikTok in this country for security reasons or it'll be sold," Trump saidwhile awaiting a flight to one of his reelection rallies.
When questioned about a possible extension of TikTok’s deadline to find new owners, Trump replied, "I'm not extending deadlines. No, it's September 15. There will be no extension of the TikTok deadline."
There’s just a few problems there. For one, Trump has already approved an extension of the original deadline. And neither the original date nor the extended deadline fall on Sept. 15.
On Aug. 6, Trump signed an executive ordertargeting TikTok. The order barred anyone in the U.S. from doing business with ByteDance, the China-based parent company, due to potential security issues involving the Chinese government. Trump gave TikTok 45 days to find a U.S.-based buyer.
Forty-five days from Aug. 6 is not Sept. 15. It’s Sept. 20.
As Gizmodopoints out, Trump has previously referenced a Sept. 15 date before when discussing a deadline for a TikTok acquisition.
“I set a date of around September 15, at which point it’s going to be out of business in the United States,” Trump saiddays before signing the executive order.
Ah, "aroundSeptember 15!" you say, maybe wanting to give him the benefit of the doubt. Sure, OK. Except Trump signed another executive order about a week after the previous one, extending TikTok’s deadlineto 90 days... well into November.
Donald Trump, the President of the United States of America, is the person who imposed an ultimatum on TikTok: Cut ties with your Chinese parent company, Bytedance, and sell to a U.S.-based organization oryour viral video app will be banned in the States. It seems well within reason for Trump to know exactly what date that deadline falls on. It seems like a pretty important detail.
SEE ALSO: A beginner's guide to TikTokAs of Sept. 12, officially, on paper, that deadline is about a month and a half away. Perhaps Trump will remember or be reminded of this extension prior to Sept. 15. Or there’s a good chance he’ll wake up on the morning of Sept. 15 and declare TikTok is banned...even though it wouldn’t be.
Or maybe none of these dates even matter. TikTok is currently suing the Trump administrationover the ban. Legal experts have questionedwhether the U.S. government even has the ability to ban the app. China has hinted at doing everything in its power to block an acquisition.
One thing is clear though: At the moment, TikTok’s future in the U.S. is very unclear.
Topics Social Media TikTok Donald Trump
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