TikTok Sale | Trump says US talking to four different groups

 

President Donald Trump said on Sunday that his administration was in touch with some groups about the sale of Chinese-owned social media platform TikTok, and that all options were good.

Aboard Air Force ONE, U.S. President Donald Trump said that his administration was in touch with four different groups.

TikTok's fate has been up in the air since a law requiring its owner ByteDance to either sell it on national security grounds or face a ban took effect on January 19.

Reportedly, the law banning TikTok materialized amid concerns that the Chinese government could exploit the app for surveillance or covertly influence US public opinion. As the deadline approached, TikTok temporarily shut down its services in the United States and disappeared from app stores, sparking outrage among its millions of American users. However, after beginning his second term in January, Trump suspended the implementation of the ban for two-and-a-half months in an effort to negotiate a resolution with Beijing. This allowed TikTok to restore service and return to Apple and Google app stores in February.

Asked if there was going to soon be a deal on TikTok, Trump told reporters, "it could."

"We're dealing with four different groups, and a lot of people want it ... all four are good," he added.

TikTok and ByteDance did not immediately respond to Reuters' requests for comment outside of normal business hours.

 Among the potential buyers is “The People’s Bid for TikTok,” an initiative led by real estate and sports tycoon Frank McCourt’s Project Liberty. Other contenders include tech giants Microsoft and Oracle, as well as a group involving popular internet personality MrBeast, whose real name is Jimmy Donaldson.

 Despite the mounting pressure, TikTok has not shown strong enthusiasm for selling its US operations. Trump previously attempted to ban the app during his first term in the White House, citing national security concerns, as already indicated.

The ongoing negotiations suggest that TikTok’s fate in the US remains uncertain, with a final decision likely to hinge on political and legal developments in the coming weeks.

TikTok, known in mainland China and Hong Kong as Douyin is a short-form video-hosting service. It hosts user-submitted videos, which may range in duration from three seconds to 60 minutes. It can be accessed through a mobile app or through its website.