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A billionaire investor keen on buying TikTok’s US operations has told the BBC he has been left in limbo as the latest deadline for the app’s sale looms.<\/p>\n
The US has repeatedly delayed the date by which the platform’s Chinese owner, Bytedance, must sell or be blocked for American users.<\/p>\n
US President Donald Trump appears poised to extend the deadline for a fifth time on Tuesday.<\/p>\n
“We’re just standing by and waiting to see what happens,” investor Frank McCourt told BBC News.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n
“But if the moment arrives, we’re prepared to move forward… we’ve raised the capital to buy it – we’ll see.”<\/p>\n
The popular short-form video app was due to be banned or sold in the US in January in accordance with a law passed by Congress in 2024.<\/p>\n
Lawmakers said at the time ByteDance’s links to the Chinese government threatened national security, and expressed fears Beijing could force the company to hand over data on US users.<\/p>\n
It’s a concern TikTok and its owners have always said is unfounded.<\/p>\n
The law was signed by President Joe Biden while he was still in office and was upheld by the Supreme Court in early 2025.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n
Trump and members of his administration have previously claimed a TikTok deal was done<\/a>, and had the blessing of Chinese President Xi Jinping.<\/p>\n