President Trump has issued another 90-day reprieve for TikTok, marking the third delay of a 2024 law that requires the Chinese-controlled video app to be sold or shut down for national security reasons.

The latest extension was announced Thursday as the previous 90-day delay expired.

The original TikTok ban was scheduled to take effect January 19, but Trump has issued successive extensions allowing the app to continue operating for its estimated 100 million American users.

The 2024 statute authorises the president to issue a one-time enforcement extension of up to 90 days if he certifies to Congress that “binding legal agreements” are in place leading to TikTok’s sale.

It remains unclear whether that certification has been made or if other legal authorities permit additional enforcement delays.

White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt said “the White House Counsel’s Office and the Department of Justice strongly believe in the legal rationale” for the third extension, though she provided no additional details about the legal basis.

“The political reasoning for this, of course, is because the president made a promise to keep TikTok on,” Leavitt explained.

“He also wants to protect Americans’ data and privacy concerns on this app, and he believes we can do both things at the same time.”

Trump’s current support for TikTok represents a reversal from his first term, when he attempted to shut down the app after national security officials concluded it harvests sensitive American data and could manipulate content to advance Chinese political objectives.

The Supreme Court unanimously upheld the TikTok law on January 17, three days before Trump took office.

The court acknowledged that “for more than 170 million Americans, TikTok offers a distinctive and expansive outlet for expression,” but noted that “Congress has determined that divestiture is necessary to address its well-supported national security concerns.”

The legislation was signed by then-President Biden in April 2024 with bipartisan support, despite legal challenges from TikTok and content creators arguing that banning the platform violated free speech rights.

Trump has indicated openness to transferring TikTok operations to Oracle, whose co-founder, Larry Ellison, is a Trump friend and political supporter.

The president previously filed a Supreme Court brief arguing his “consummate dealmaking experience” would enable finding a solution that would preserve TikTok while addressing intelligence concerns.

Vice President JD Vance told NBC News in March that he hoped to secure a deal before Trump’s first enforcement extension expired on April 5.

That deadline passed without reported developments, and few details about ongoing negotiations have emerged since.

TikTok parent company ByteDance has remained unwilling to cede control of American user data and other features that U.S. officials consider national security threats, complicating potential sale arrangements.