United States President Donald Trump has said he’s open to the possibility of Elon Musk purchasing TikTok.
TikTok was recently shut down in the US following a federal ban over national security concerns tied to its Chinese ownership.
The ban, which took effect on Sunday, temporarily forced TikTok offline, leaving over 170 million US users without access to the platform.
On his first day in office, Trump signed an executive order delaying the enforcement of the ban by 75 days, allowing TikTok to resume operations.
Addressing journalists after signing the order, Trump said US should receive 50 percent of any proceeds from the potential sale of TikTok in a joint venture proposition.
“I have met with the owners of TikTok, the big owners. So, what I am thinking about saying to somebody is ‘buy it and give half to the United States of America.
“I would be, if he (Musk) wanted to buy it. I’d like Larry to buy it, too.
“I have the right to make a deal. The deal I think is this. TikTok is worthless if it doesn’t get a US permit. With a permit it’s worth like a trillion dollars.
“So what I’m thinking about saying to somebody is ‘buy it and give half to the United States of America and we’ll give you a permit and you’ll have a great partner in the United States and they’ll have something that is more valuable because they have the ultimate partner in the United States.”
