Trump Open to TikTok Purchase by Musk or Ellison as Joint Venture
President Donald Trump has expressed willingness to consider bids from billionaire Elon Musk or Oracle Corp. Chairman Larry Ellison to purchase the social video app TikTok in a joint venture with the U.S. government.
In a White House event with Ellison on Tuesday, Trump stated, "I have the right to make a deal. So what I'm thinking about saying to somebody is buy it and give half to the United States of America, half, and we'll give you the permit, and they'll have a great partner."
Though TikTok faced a brief outage over the weekend, Trump issued an executive order on January 20 extending the deadline for a sale by 75 days. ByteDance Ltd., the owner of TikTok, has publicly declined to sell, but potential buyers hope recent developments may prompt a reconsideration.
"You have an asset that has no value or has a trillion dollar value," Trump remarked. "It all depends on whether or not the United States gives the permit."
Chinese officials have not immediately responded to inquiries regarding the government's stance on American ownership of a portion of TikTok. Zhu Feng, executive dean of Nanjing University's School of International Studies, suggests that while Beijing may consider negotiations, it is unlikely to accept politically motivated deals.
"The pursuits of US interests should be based on rules, not on the strength of the US government," he added.
Potential Bidders Emerge
Various potential buyers have expressed interest in acquiring TikTok. A group of American investors led by tech entrepreneur Jesse Tinsley, including popular content creator MrBeast, announced a bid on Tuesday. Former Los Angeles Dodgers owner Frank McCourt and "Shark Tank" investor Kevin O'Leary made a formal offer earlier this month.
Other potential suitors include Amazon.com Inc. and Oracle, both of which have existing business relationships with TikTok. Notably, Oracle assisted in restoring TikTok's app on Sunday after a U.S. shutdown, despite the threat of fines.
During a White House appearance on Tuesday, Trump suggested he might download TikTok on his phone, expressing a fondness for the app amidst ongoing negotiations.