The United States President Donald Trump expressed openness to Tesla CEO Elon Musk acquiring TikTok, while proposing an unprecedented arrangement where the US government would receive a 50% ownership stake in exchange for operating permits. “I would be if he wanted to buy it, yes,” Trump said when asked about Musk buying Tiktok at a press briefing on Tuesday, January 21.”I’d like Larry to buy it, too,” he added, referring to Oracle Chairman Larry Ellison.
The comments came a day after President Trump signed an executive order suspending TikTok’s ban for 75 days, temporarily halting restrictions that took effect after the Supreme Court upheld legislation requiring Chinese giant ByteDance to divest TikTok’s US operations. Trump suggested that ByteDance could find “the ultimate partner” in either Tesla and Starlink owner Elon Musk, while claiming that TikTok could be worth up to $1 trillion with proper operating permits. Analysts, however, currently value its US operations at approximately $50 billion.
“What I’m thinking about saying to somebody is, buy it and give half to the United States of America,” Trump said. “And we’ll give you the permit.”
The ‘Trump change’ for Tiktok since the year 2020
The US President’s stance on TikTok has evolved significantly since 2020, when he attempted to ban the app through executive action. The shift reportedly came after a February meeting with Jeff Yass, a prominent Republican donor and ByteDance investor who also holds stakes in Trump’s Truth Social platform.
Chinese officials have shown potential flexibility regarding a sale. Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Mao Ning stated that companies should decide on business operations and acquisitions based on market principles.
The platform’s fate remains uncertain as Apple and Google continue withholding TikTok from their app stores, citing US legal requirements, despite service restoration for existing users.
TikTok CEO Shou Zi Chew attended Trump’s inauguration on Monday alongside other tech leaders including Musk, Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg, and Amazon founder Jeff Bezos.
