USA: On Sunday (Mar 9), US President Donald Trump said his administration was in talks with four groups interested in buying TikTok. He described all four options as “good” and, when asked if a TikTok deal was near, told reporters on Air Force One, “It could.”
According to Reuters, his administration was in talks with four different groups interested in TikTok, adding, “A lot of people want it.”
In late January, the US President was asked if he was open to Tesla CEO Elon Musk buying the app, to which he replied, “I would be if he wanted to buy it.”
TikTok’s future has been uncertain since a law upheld by the US Supreme Court on Jan 17 required its owner, ByteDance, to sell the platform or face a ban, which took effect on Jan 19.
After a 12-hour ban, US President Trump, who took office on Jan 20, signed an executive order delaying the law’s enforcement by 75 days.
Reuters reported that TikTok has drawn interest from several potential buyers, including former Los Angeles Dodgers owner Frank McCourt. Analysts estimate the fast-growing platform could be worth up to US$50 billion (S$66.57 billion). /TISG