Former U.S. President Donald Trump has confirmed that Microsoft is engaged in discussions to acquire TikTok. He also expressed interest in seeing a competitive bidding process for the social media platform.
When asked whether Microsoft was preparing a bid, Trump responded, “I would say yes,” while noting that several companies have shown strong interest in acquiring TikTok.
Both Trump and President Joe Biden have long pushed for TikTok’s Chinese parent company, ByteDance, to sell its U.S. operations, citing national security concerns.
U.S. Government’s Ongoing Scrutiny of TikTok
The pressure on ByteDance to divest TikTok’s U.S. assets dates back to Trump’s administration. Last week, Trump signed an executive order delaying a Biden administration ban on the app, which had briefly taken it offline for its 170 million American users.
Despite the recent extension, Trump was the first U.S. president to take action against TikTok, urging a sale over data security risks.
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Previous Attempts to Sell TikTok
In August 2020, ByteDance approached Microsoft as a potential buyer, though the company’s CEO later described the situation as “the strangest thing.” Instead, TikTok explored a deal with Oracle as a potential U.S. partner, but that agreement never materialized.
Trump Comments on Sale Prospects
Speaking to Republican lawmakers in Florida, Trump suggested that a competitive bidding process would be beneficial for TikTok’s future in the U.S.
“We’ll see what happens. We’re going to have a lot of people bidding on it,” he said.
He also emphasized the importance of retaining TikTok’s U.S.-based workforce while preventing Chinese involvement in the company’s operations.
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Potential Buyers Express Interest
Several notable figures have been linked to a possible TikTok acquisition, including billionaire Frank McCourt and “Shark Tank” investor Kevin O’Leary.
Additionally, popular YouTuber Jimmy Donaldson, known as MrBeast, has indicated interest in making a bid after receiving inquiries from investors following his public expression of interest.
Awaiting Official Statements
As of now, Microsoft has not issued an official comment on its potential bid for TikTok. The BBC has also reached out to TikTok for a response but has yet to receive one.
