President Donald Trump gave TikTok a fresh 75-day lifeline Friday, April 4, 2025, signing an executive order to delay a looming U.S. ban, he announced on April 5. The move aims to clinch a deal shifting the app from China’s ByteDance to American ownership, despite Beijing’s refusal to sell.

Congress’s 2024 law demanded ByteDance divest TikTok by January 19 or face a shutdown over security fears, a deadline Trump first pushed to April 5 with a January pause. Now, he’s extended it again, claiming “tremendous progress” on Truth Social. “This keeps TikTok running while we finalize approvals,” he said, eyeing a mid-June cutoff.

The Supreme Court upheld the ban in December, citing risks of China accessing U.S. data via TikTok’s 170 million users. Experts like Alan Rozenshtein of the University of Minnesota call Trump’s delay illegal: “He’s dodging enforcement, not extending anything. Risks persist if ByteDance keeps the algorithm.” Cybersecurity CEO Chris Pierson echoed, “Control hasn’t shifted—threats remain.”

Trump’s banking on talks with TikTok and China, though ByteDance insists it’s off-limits. U.S. firms like Oracle hover, but no deal’s firm. Public support for a ban’s waned—Pew says it’s down to one-third from 50% in 2023, with data worries driving backers. For SAT tutor Daniel Ryave, with 175,000 TikTok followers, it’s relief: “Most of my students come from there.”

This marks Trump’s second sidestep of the law, which allows one 90-day grace only with a deal in sight—none’s confirmed. Over 130 lawsuits have hit his orders, but this one’s unchallenged so far. National security’s on the line, and Trump’s betting big—75 days to seal it or bust.