US President Donald Trump said on Sunday (Mar 9) that his administration was in touch with four different groups about the sale of Chinese-owned social media platform TikTok, and that all options were good.
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 Jan 19. Trump, after taking office on Jan 20, signed an executive order seeking to delay by 75 days the enforcement of the law.
Asked if there was going to soon be a deal on TikTok, Trump told reporters aboard the Air Force One, “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.
The turmoil at TikTok has attracted several potential buyers, including former Los Angeles Dodgers owner Frank McCourt, who have expressed interest in the fast-growing business analysts estimate could be worth as much as US$50 billion.
