Microsoft, which declined to comment on the president’s remarks, had discussed buying TikTok in 2020, when Trump tried to force a sale of the app in his first term.
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,
Considering Microsoft ends up buying TikTok, the company might be able to use the platform to boost its existing services, such as Bing Search. Bing Search is the main competitor to Google Search, and it has been rising in popularity for the last few years due to its quest to decentralize the search engine market.
Microsoft Corp. is in talks to acquire the US arm of ByteDance Ltd.’s TikTok, President Donald Trump said Monday night, without elaborating.
President Trump said he “would say yes” to Microsoft buying TikTok but maintained that there are many interested parties that will be bidding to buy the app before a 75-day extension to decide its fate expires in April.
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.
Per The Guardian, when a reporter aboard Air Force One on Monday asked if Microsoft was in talks to buy TikTok, Trump said, "I would say yes," adding that there is "a lot of interest in TikTok. There’s great interest in TikTok." BBC News reported that Trump said he'd like to see a "bidding war" over the sale.
President Trump reveals Microsoft is in talks to acquire TikTok after the app briefly went offline amid a looming ban over data concerns.
This story incorporates reporting from ABC, Shacknews and USA Today.President Donald Trump announced earlier this week that Microsoft is engaged in discussions with ByteDance to acquire TikTok.
President Trump tells reporters on Air Force One that Microsoft is the latest contender in the race to buy TikTok's US operations.
Speaking with reporters Monday night, President Trump said "yes" when asked if Microsoft is among the companies in discussions to buy TikTok.