President Donald Trump has expressed openness to the idea of tech billionaire Elon Musk buying TikTok, the Chinese-owned social media platform facing a potential U.S. ban.
When asked about Musk’s interest in purchasing TikTok, Trump responded, “I would be if he wanted to buy it.”
This statement follows Trump’s executive order delaying the enforcement of a law that would have effectively banned TikTok in the United States.
The law mandated that TikTok divest from its Chinese parent company, ByteDance, by January 19, 2025, due to national security concerns. Trump’s order grants a 75-day reprieve, providing time to explore alternative solutions.
In addition to considering Musk as a potential buyer, Trump has suggested a possible 50-50 partnership between the U.S. government and ByteDance to preserve TikTok’s operations in the country.
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The TikTok ban was driven by concerns that the Chinese government might use the app to spy on Americans or manipulate public opinion in the U.S. through data collection and content control.
When asked on Tuesday if his phone had TikTok, which is banned on U.S. government devices, Trump replied, “No, but… I think I’ll get it right now.”
As the law’s sale deadline loomed, TikTok briefly shut down in the U.S. late Saturday, leaving millions of users without access. With the help of Oracle, its server provider, TikTok resumed service in the U.S. on Sunday, crediting Trump’s efforts to save the app for the reversal.
However, while existing users can still access TikTok, Apple and Google have not made the app available in their app stores, preventing new downloads and updates for current users.
Companies that violate the law, which remains in effect, could face penalties of up to $5,000 per user if the app is accessed.
Last week, reports surfaced suggesting that Chinese officials were considering selling TikTok’s U.S. operations to Musk’s platform X, but TikTok quickly denied the claim.
