US President Donald Trump has confirmed that Microsoft is discussing the purchase of TikTok, hinting that he would welcome competition among potential buyers.
Speaking to reporters, Trump said, “I would say yes,” when asked if the US tech company was preparing a bid. He added that several firms were showing “great interest” in acquiring the social media app.
This follows years of efforts by both Trump and former President Joe Biden to pressure TikTok’s Chinese parent company, ByteDance, to sell its US operations over national security concerns.
Last week, Trump signed an executive order delaying a ban on TikTok, initially enforced by the Biden administration. The move briefly took the app offline for its 170 million US users. Although the ban has been delayed by 75 days, Trump was the first president to push ByteDance toward selling the platform.
In August 2020, ByteDance approached Microsoft as a potential buyer, a move Microsoft’s CEO later described as “the strangest thing.” However, TikTok later opted for Oracle as a potential partner, but that deal did not materialize.
Trump said he expects to decide TikTok’s future within the next month, stating that discussions are ongoing with multiple parties.
Microsoft declined to comment, saying it had “nothing to share at this time.” The BBC also reached out to TikTok for a statement.
Earlier in the day, Trump addressed a gathering of Republican politicians in Florida, reiterating his stance on the issue. “We’ll see what happens. We’re going to have a lot of people bidding on it,” he said. “If we can save all that voice and all the jobs, and China won’t be involved, we don’t want China involved, but we’ll see what happens.”
Several other names have been linked to the potential purchase of TikTok, including billionaire Frank McCourt, Shark Tank’s Kevin O’Leary, and YouTuber Jimmy Donaldson, known as MrBeast. Donaldson had previously tweeted about his interest, which reportedly attracted investors to him.
The outcome of these discussions remains uncertain as TikTok’s future in the US hangs in the balance.
