Washington, Aug. 22 -- US President Donald Trump said on Friday (local time) that he was open to a fourth extension of the deadline for when TikTok had to be separated from its Chinese owner, ByteDance, or face a ban in the US, The New York Times reported.

The popular short-form video app has until mid-September to find a new owner under a federal law that requires the company to change its ownership structure to resolve national security concerns.

That's after its deadline was extended first in January, then in April and later in June. The administration has "very substantial American buyers" lined up to acquire the firm, Trump said on Friday, echoing comments that he had made in June. But, he said, a deal, which would require China's ...