US President Donald Trump has suggested he is open to Elon Musk, the owner of Tesla and the platform X, purchasing TikTok.
TikTok was recently banned in the United States because to national security concerns around its Chinese ownership.
The ban, which began on Sunday, temporarily disabled the app, leaving over 170 million US users without access.
TikTok was also deleted from the Apple and Google app stores as part of the prohibition in order to comply with federal regulations.
On his first day in office, Trump signed an order to delay the ban for 75 days, allowing TikTok to start working again.
Speaking to reporters after signing the order, Trump suggested that the US should get 50% of any money made from the potential sale of TikTok in a joint business deal.
Trump stated, “I met with TikTok’s large owners. So, what I’m thinking about saying to someone is, “Buy it and donate half to the United States of America.”
He also cautioned China against meddling with the sale, labeling any hindrance as “hostile” and threatening tariffs of up to 100%.
When a reporter asked at a press briefing if he was open to Musk purchasing the platform, Trump answered yes while also mentioning Larry Ellison, Oracle’s co-founder, as another potential bidder.
“I would be if Musk decided to purchase it. I’d like Larry to buy it too. I have the right to strike a bargain. I believe the transaction is as follows. TikTok is meaningless until it has a US permission. With a permission, it’s worth trillions of dollars.
“So what I’m thinking of suggesting to anybody is ‘purchase it and give half to the United States of America and we’ll give you a permit and you’ll have a great partner in the United States and they’ll have something that is more valuable because they have the ultimate partner in the United States,” Trump said.
