On Monday, the Democratic Senator Mark Warner challenged Trump’s decision to extend a deadline for ByteDance to divest TikTok’s US assets. He stated that the reported deal under consideration would not meet legal requirements for eliminating ByteDance’s influence over TikTok’s US operations under the 2024 law. 

According to Reuters, Trump’s administration was in touch with four different groups about a prospective TikTok deal. About the deal, Warner said it “would preserve a material, operational role for ByteDance by not only allowing it to retain a significant equity stake in the divested entity, but also an active role in technology development and maintenance” 

President Donald Trump extended the deadline for TikTok’s ban by an additional 75 days in order to allow negotiations for a potential deal between U.S investors and ByteDance, TikTok’s Chinese parent, to move ahead. The ban was initially to go into effect on April 5, and will now be deferred under this new executive order.

The senator demanded that under the 2024 law, any investor holding shares of TikTok’s US assets must ensure that the personal data of users will be protected. He stated 

“Any qualified divestiture must ensure a clean operational break from ByteDance and TikTok USA, including by preventing either company from continuing to develop, influence, or access personal data or source code,” 

Warner further added 

“The deal being discussed undermines confidence that the divested app can be trusted to protect national security and ensure compliance with the law.”

TikTok Deal Spinned Off as China Objected to New Tariffs. After Donald Trump granted an extension to ByteDance, it has been reported that the deal to sell TikTok’s assets in the US has been spun off. This measure is taken in response to China’s retaliation for the newly imposed US 54% tariffs on Chinese imports. The Chinese government showed concerns over the tariffs and indicated that it would not approve the deal.