In another shocking turn of events, US President Donald Trump's ban on TikTok has been delayed. TikTok will now have until September 27th, 2020 to finalize a deal with Oracle and Walmart, allowing the app to avoid a ban.
After President Trump seemed dead set on removing TikTok from US app stores on Septemeber 20th, 2020, he changed his outlook mere hours before the scheduled ban. According to a US Department of Commerce press release, the deadline is now extended to September 27th.
This development comes after President Trump expressed his approval over the proposed TikTok deal. In a report by Bloomberg, Trump said that he "approved the deal in concept."
The deal gives both Oracle and Walmart a stake in TikTok, and also includes the creation of a new US-based company, TikTok Global. As part of the agreement, Trump also expects TikTok Global to invest $5 billion into an American education fund.
TikTok turned to Twitter to celebrate Trump's approval. Vanessa Pappas, TikTok's interim CEO, recorded a message for TikTok fans, noting that TikTok is "here for the long run." She also stated that TikTok will continue to operate with no changes to the app.
Despite Trump's backing, the TikTok deal still has yet to gain official approval from the US Department of Treasury and the Chinese government. The new September 27th deadline is supposed to give TikTok enough time to finalize the deal.
But for now, it seems like TikTok will remain on US app stores.
Unless the Chinese government puts up a fight about the deal, the TikTok drama may finally come to an end.
Even if the deal goes through, there's no telling how much the app will actually change. Will TikTok still be accused of posing a national security threat, or will the involvement of American companies set the app straight?
