Newsroom
Former U.S. President Donald Trump has expressed support for the idea of Elon Musk purchasing TikTok, the popular social media platform owned by China's ByteDance. Trump's remarks come as the app faces a potential ban in the United States due to national security concerns, though its operations have temporarily continued following a 75-day suspension of the law.
"If he [Musk] wants to buy it, I’d be open to that," Trump said when asked about Musk’s possible acquisition of TikTok. Musk, the billionaire CEO of Tesla, SpaceX, and owner of X (formerly Twitter), is both an ally and informal advisor to Trump.
The former president added that any buyer of TikTok would need to offer a significant stake—"half" of the company, as he put it—to the U.S. in exchange for a license to operate in the country. This echoes Trump’s previous calls during his presidency for U.S. ownership in any deals involving TikTok, citing the app's massive American user base and the government’s concerns over data security.
TikTok has been under scrutiny in the U.S. for years, with lawmakers raising concerns about its ties to China and potential risks to user data privacy. The platform’s future in the country remains uncertain, even as it continues to operate under temporary legal measures.
Whether Musk is seriously considering such a move remains unclear. However, Musk's history of acquiring and transforming companies has sparked curiosity about whether TikTok could be his next target.
For now, TikTok users in the U.S. wait for clarity on the platform's future as conversations around its ownership and operations continue to evolve.
