Speaking over the weekend, President Donald Trump claimed that he was in talks with multiple interested parties about the purchase of TikTok. The 47th President spoke with reporters on Air Force One and added he also expects a definitive future for the app in the next 30 days.
TikTok has been in limbo since it was officially banned in the US this month. While the active ban only lasted 15 hours, if a solution isn’t figured out by the end of the 75-day extension on keeping the app active in America, it’ll go down permanently.
Reports have swirled, namely after Trump made previous comments, that potential buyers could be Elon Musk or Oracle. However, during the briefing, Trump said he hadn’t spoken to Oracle’s founder, Larry Ellison. During the initial attempt to ban the app in 2022, Oracle was looking like the leading buyer to skirt a complete ban of the app. The company also reportedly provides parts of TikTok’s infrastructure.
Trump said, “No, not with Oracle. Numerous people are talking to me, very substantial people, about buying it and I will make that decision probably over the next 30 days. Congress has given 90 days. If we can save TikTok, I think it would be a good thing.”
It was Donald Trump’s first term that the TikTok ban was initially floated. The US government has major concerns with the app’s data collection policies, and in more recent weeks, US officials have outright said that it spreads Chinese or communist propaganda.
TikTok buyers range from Mr. Beast to Oracle
TikTok has been praised heavily for being informative on a wide range of topics without much interference. However, since it was brought back online, US users have repeatedly reported issues with sharing content that might not be looked favorably by the Trump administration.
Should a deal be made, it’s also reported that Bytedance will keep a stake in the business. However, any data collection and storage would now be on US soil. Whoever was to win the deal, would work with other investors and parties to take over operations. Management and staff would also remain in place, should the ban be avoided.
Other interested parties include Mr. Beast, or Jimmy Donaldson, the YouTuber. He has expressed interest in buying the app in a post on X, which appeared flippant. However, a follow-up post claims that he has been approached by “so many billionaires” since posting it.