According to US President Donald Trump, he is amenable to the notion of Oracle chairman Larry Ellison or Tesla CEO Elon Musk purchasing the Chinese social media app TikTok. Notably, TikTok was offline for almost 14 hours between late Saturday night and Sunday morning. However, the app was given a 75-day reprieve by an executive order signed by Trump on his first day as the 47th president of the United States.
“I would be, if he wanted to buy it,” Trump responded when asked if he would be amenable to Elon Musk purchasing TikTok.
“I spoke with the large owners of Tiktok, and they told me that without a permit, it is useless.It has a trillion-dollar value. I am considering telling someone, “We will give you the permit, and they will have a great partner, if you buy it and give half to the United States of America.” Trump went on.
Trump said, “I have the right to make a deal,” in reference to the possible agreement. Therefore, I am considering suggesting to someone that they purchase it, donate half to the United States of America, and we will grant them the permit. They will also have a fantastic partner.
But, why did Donald Trump save TikTok?
Notably, a US federal legislation that required TikTok to sever its links with its Chinese parent company ByteDance by January 19 or face banishment in the US prohibited the app.
Trump has changed his mind, particularly in the past year, despite his 2020 attempt to ban TikTok due to privacy and national security concerns. Trump claims that because TikTok let him to engage with young people during the 2024 elections, he has developed a “warm spot” for the app.
