Here’s another bright idea from President Donald Trump. He just expressed openness to the idea of either Tesla CEO Elon Musk or Oracle Chairman Larry Ellison purchasing TikTok, a move that could have significant implications for the app’s future in the United States.
At a press briefing on Tuesday, where Trump discussed a new joint venture in AI infrastructure, a reporter asked if he was open to Musk acquiring TikTok. Trump responded affirmatively, saying, “I would be if he wanted to buy it, yes. I’d like Larry to buy it, too.”
TikTok, owned by China’s ByteDance, is currently in a precarious position in the U.S. following an executive order signed by Trump on Monday. The order gives TikTok 75 days to secure a U.S. operating permit, effectively suspending the ban that was set in motion after the Supreme Court upheld the legality of a national security law. This law could penalize app stores and service providers hosting TikTok unless ByteDance agrees to sell it.
TikTok’s U.S. business is valued at around $50 billion, but Trump suggested that without a U.S. operating permit, the app would be “worthless.” However, with the right permit, he claimed it could be worth up to $1 trillion.
Musk, who also leads SpaceX and owns social media platform X, was a major financial backer of Trump during his campaign and is considered an influential figure in the administration. Ellison, a longtime Trump ally, oversees Oracle, which provides TikTok’s cloud infrastructure in the U.S.
Trump added, “What I’m thinking about saying to somebody is, buy it and give half to the United States of America. And we’ll give you the permit.” He emphasized that ByteDance would find an “ultimate partner” in the U.S. that would make a potential deal “very worthwhile for them in terms of the permits and everything else.”
In case you forgot, Trump’s stance on TikTok has evolved over time. In 2020, he signed an executive order attempting to ban the app, a move blocked by a federal court. However, after meeting with billionaire investor Jeff Yass—who holds a stake in both ByteDance and Trump’s social media platform Truth Social—Trump began speaking more favorably about TikTok.
Get this, TikTok CEO Shou Chew attended Trump’s inauguration in 2017, highlighting a more complex relationship between the two parties. While ByteDance has not confirmed whether it plans to sell TikTok, there have been reports suggesting the Chinese government might entertain a plan in which Musk could acquire TikTok’s operations.
Musk did not immediately respond to a request for comment, nor did representatives from Oracle or TikTok.
Source link
