Internet Trump open to purchase of Tiktok by Musk
US President Donald Trump has no objection to tech billionaire Elon Musk taking over Tiktok. He would be open to it if Musk wanted to buy the video app, Trump said in the White House in response to a question from journalists.
22.01.2025, 00:55
SDA
He also reiterated that he believes Tiktok should be half-owned by the USA. Musk's name had recently been mentioned in media reports. The Wall Street Journal and the Bloomberg financial service wrote that the Chinese government was considering the option of selling Tiktok to Musk. The tech billionaire and current Trump confidant has significant business interests in China: the electric car manufacturer Tesla, which he manages, has a large plant in Shanghai.
Musk could link Tiktok with X
Musk already owns the online platform X, which is based on the short message service Twitter that he bought. He supported Trump's election campaign with more than 200 million dollars and made X an even more important platform for the president and his supporters.
The clock is ticking for Tiktok in the USA. A US law stipulated that the China-based Tiktok owner Bytedance had to divest itself of Tiktok by last Sunday in order for the app to remain available in the US. However, this did not happen and the app was temporarily taken offline at the weekend.
Trump gives Tiktok more time
On Monday, however, Trump issued a decree ordering the Department of Justice not to enforce the provisions of the law for 75 days. It remains to be seen whether he can do this legally. Trump is convinced that he can strike a deal for Tiktok. He argues that Tiktok is worth nothing without the US market and that he is therefore in a strong negotiating position. Officially, Tiktok has always rejected a change of ownership.
Concerns in the USA
The law - which Trump must also abide by - was triggered by concerns that the Chinese government could use Tiktok to gain access to US users' data and manipulate public opinion in the US. Tiktok rejects this.
At the same time, Trump played down the data protection concerns. There are bigger problems than information about young Tiktok users falling into Chinese hands, he said on Monday.
