President Donald Trump has revealed that discussions are underway to acquire the popular social media app TikTok. The app, owned by China’s ByteDance, has been a focal point of national security concerns. Trump suggested he would like to see a bidding war over TikTok, which has about 170 million American users.
He mentioned that he has been in talks with several interested parties regarding the platform’s future and expects to make a decision within the next 30 days. When asked if Microsoft was in talks to buy the app, Trump stated, “I would say yes,” adding, “A lot of interest in TikTok. There’s great interest in TikTok.” Microsoft and ByteDance did not immediately respond to requests for comment outside regular business hours following the US president’s comments to reporters aboard Air Force One on Monday.
The app was temporarily taken offline just before a law, mandating TikTok’s Chinese parent company ByteDance to either sell it or face a ban, took effect on January 19. However, after taking office on January 20, Trump signed an executive order postponing the enforcement of the law by 75 days.
trump’s TikTok acquisition discussions continue
The reported talks mark the second time Microsoft has shown interest in TikTok. During his first term, Trump ordered TikTok to separate its US version from ByteDance, citing national security concerns. Microsoft emerged as a top bidder in 2020, but those talks soon collapsed, and Trump’s divestment push ended a few months later when he left office.
Trump has previously indicated that he would be open to billionaire Elon Musk buying the social media app if the Tesla CEO were interested. However, Musk has not publicly commented on Trump’s offer. More recently, AI startup Perplexity AI proposed a merger with TikTok, suggesting that the US government could get up to half of the new company in the future, a source told Reuters on Sunday.
In 2021, Microsoft CEO Satya Nadella referred to the TikTok talks as the “strangest thing I’ve ever worked on.” The US government had a “particular set of requirements and then it just disappeared,” he said. The legislation was introduced due to concerns that TikTok was misusing user data. The race to acquire TikTok continues, with the deadline looming and the future of the app hanging in the balance.
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