Donald Trump stated on Saturday that he is in discussions with several parties about buying TikTok and expects to make a decision regarding the app’s future within the next 30 days. He mentioned that there is significant interest in TikTok.
On Sunday, Trump announced on Truth Social that millions of TikTok users in the U.S. could no longer access the app. Google and Apple removed TikTok from their stores to comply with a federal law, which required TikTok’s parent company, ByteDance, to sell its U.S. operations by Sunday. The law, passed in April due to national security concerns, threatened heavy fines for noncompliance.
Trump told reporters that he hasn’t spoken to Oracle’s Larry Ellison about buying TikTok. He said many people are talking to him about buying it, and he will decide in the next 30 days, as Congress has given 90 days to make a decision. He believes saving TikTok would be a good thing.
TikTok CEO Shou Zi Chew was at Trump’s inauguration on Monday, alongside other tech leaders like Elon Musk, Mark Zuckerberg, and Jeff Bezos. Earlier that day, YouTube star MrBeast shared a TikTok video, showing himself on a private jet, seemingly heading to make an official offer to buy TikTok.
Other people, including former Trump Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin and Shark Tank investor Kevin O’Leary, have shown interest in buying TikTok.
