Trump Confirms Microsoft is Among Several US Companies Interested in Acquiring TikTok

US President Donald Trump has said Microsoft is in discussions to acquire TikTok and that he would like to see a "bidding war" over the sale of the social media app. When asked by reporters whether the US tech giant was preparing a bid, Trump replied: "I would say yes" - before adding that there was "great interest in TikTok" from several companies. Both Trump and his predecessor Joe Biden have been trying for years to force TikTok's Chinese parent company, ByteDance, to sell its US operations on national security grounds. It comes as Trump signed an executive order last week to delay a Biden Administration ban on TikTok that briefly took the app offline for its 170m users in the United States.

President Donald Trump said Monday evening that Microsoft is among the U.S. companies looking to take control of TikTok to help the popular app avert an effective ban that could kick-in in April. “I would say yes,” Trump told reporters when asked if Microsoft was one of the companies interested in helping to bring about a new ownership of TikTok, a requirement set by Congress to keep the app functioning in the U.S. Trump added that other companies were also interested in purchasing TikTok, but wouldn’t provide a list. “I like bidding wars because you make your best deals,” Trump said as he spoke to reporters aboard Air Force One while flying back to Washington from Miami, where Republican House members were holding a conference.

President Trump suggested on Monday that Microsoft is in talks to acquire TikTok and that he hopes a “bidding war” breaks out over the contentious Chinese-owned social media app. “I would say, yes,” Trump told reporters aboard Air Force One when asked if the software giant was bidding to buy TikTok from its Chinese parent company ByteDance. Trump, 78, has previously revealed that there is “great interest in TikTok” and that he has “spoken to many people” about a possible deal that would allow the app to operate in the United States long term. “I like bidding wars because you make your best deal,” the president said on his trip back to Washington from Miami Monday night. “So if there’s a bidding war, that’s a good thing,” he added.