US President Donald Trump has expressed openness to Elon Musk, the owner of Tesla and the platform X, purchasing TikTok.
TikTok was recently banned in the United States over national security concerns related to its Chinese ownership.
The ban, which took effect on Sunday, temporarily disabled the app, leaving over 170 million US users without access. Additionally, TikTok was removed from Apple and Google’s app stores in compliance with federal regulations. On his first day in office, Trump signed an order delaying the ban for 75 days, allowing TikTok to resume operations.
After signing the order, Trump told reporters that the US should receive 50% of the proceeds from any potential sale of TikTok in a joint business arrangement. He said, “I have met with the owners of TikTok, the big owners. What I’m thinking is telling someone, ‘Buy it and give half to the United States of America.’” Trump also warned China against interfering with the sale, calling any obstruction “hostile” and threatening tariffs of up to 100%.
When asked during a press briefing if he would support Musk buying TikTok, Trump confirmed his approval and mentioned Oracle co-founder Larry Ellison as another potential buyer.
“I’d be fine with Musk buying it. I’d like Larry to buy it, too. I have the authority to make a deal. Here’s the deal: TikTok is worthless without a US permit. With a permit, it’s worth about a trillion dollars.
“So, I’m thinking of telling someone, ‘Buy it and give half to the United States of America. We’ll grant you the permit, and you’ll have a strong partner in the US, making it even more valuable because they’ll have the ultimate partner,’” Trump explained.
