Billionaire investor Frank McCourt has told the BBC he is stuck in limbo as another deadline for the forced sale of TikTok’s U.S. operations approaches—with President Donald Trump expected to extend it for a fifth time on Tuesday.
McCourt, who has assembled a consortium of investors and capital to bid for the platform, described a state of suspended animation. “We’re just standing by and waiting to see what happens,” he said.
“But if the moment arrives, we’re prepared to move forward… we’ve raised the capital to buy it—we’ll see.”
The popular short-form video app was initially slated for a U.S. ban or sale in January, under a 2024 law passed by Congress citing national security concerns over its Chinese ownership by ByteDance.
Lawmakers argued that Beijing could compel the company to hand over American user data—an allegation TikTok has consistently denied.
The law was signed by then-President Joe Biden and upheld by the Supreme Court early in 2025. However, the Trump administration has repeatedly postponed enforcement, creating prolonged uncertainty for potential buyers, investors, and the company’s U.S. operations.
With another extension imminent, the future of one of the world’s most influential social media platforms remains caught between geopolitical tensions and protracted regulatory negotiations.
By James Kisoo
