Washington: Former US President Donald Trump has proposed that billionaire Elon Musk, owner of the social media platform X, could potentially purchase the Chinese-owned video-sharing app TikTok. When questioned by reporters, Trump expressed his willingness to consider Musk as a buyer, stating, “I would be if he wanted to buy it.”
The future of TikTok in the United States remains uncertain as it faces a law mandating divestment from its Chinese parent company, ByteDance, or a complete ban. Shortly after taking office for a second term, Trump paused the enforcement of the ban for 75 days, giving TikTok a temporary reprieve. Additionally, he suggested a potential 50-50 partnership between ByteDance and the US government, although the logistics of such a proposal remain unclear.
The TikTok ban stems from concerns that the Chinese government could misuse the platform for espionage or manipulation of American public opinion through data and content control. Over the weekend, TikTok temporarily shut down in the US, leaving users frustrated. However, with the cooperation of Oracle, its server provider, services resumed. Despite this, Apple and Google have yet to allow new downloads or updates for the app.
Reports of Chinese officials considering a sale of TikTok’s US operations to Musk’s platform X were denied by TikTok. As the app’s future hangs in the balance, the discussion continues on how to address national security concerns while preserving user access.
