Trump says Microsoft in talks to buy TikTok

President Trump on Monday said Microsoft is one of the technology companies eyeing TikTok to keep the app in the United States amid a looming government ban.

When asked if Microsoft was one of the companies in talks for the popular video-sharing app, Trump told reporters, "I would say yes."

He added that there has been "a lot of interest in TikTok" but did not expand upon the interested companies.

Microsoft adds to the growing list of firms reportedly in the mix to acquire TikTok, which could face another ban in the U.S. in less than three months if the app's China-based parent company ByteDance does not divest.

"I like bidding wars because you make your best deal. So if there's a bidding war, that's a good thing," Trump said Monday.

TikTok briefly shut down earlier this month, but came back online within hours after Trump assured he would not enforce the law that required ByteDance to divest from TikTok by January 19 or face a ban. He signed an executive order on his first day in office last week that halted the enforcement for 75 days.

Trump has said he envisions a deal where the U.S. has a 50 percent stake in TikTok, though it is not clear whether an acquision by Microsoft or any other company would look exactly like this.

Microsoft declined to comment.

Perplexity AI submitted an updated proposal to merge with the social media platform earlier this week. The deal would allow the U.S. government to take a 50 percent stake in the newly formed company after it goes public, a source familiar told The Hill on Monday.

Trump has floated a number of buyers since taking office, including Oracle founder Larry Ellison and Tesla CEO Elon Musk, who has become a close ally of Trump.

Former Los Angeles Dodgers owner Frank McCourt and "Shark Tank" investor Kevin O'Leary also made an official offer of the app shortly before the initial ban was set to take effect, offering $20 billion in cash.

China has indicated a greater openness to a deal, marking a shift from when the Chinese government said it would "firmly oppose" any forced sale of the platform.

A spokesperson for the Chinese Foreign Ministry suggested last week that private companies can independently decide whether to sell their entities.

When asked if China is open to a deal with Trump and how this might look, Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson Mao Ning told reporters, “When it comes to actions such as the operation and acquisition of business, we believe they should be independently decided by companies in accordance with market principles.”

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