U.S. President Donald Trump has confirmed that discussions are ongoing with four different groups regarding the sale of TikTok’s U.S. operations. Speaking aboard Air Force One, Trump stated that all options remain open and that “a lot of people want it.”
The Chinese-owned social media platform is under pressure to divest from ByteDance due to national security concerns. A U.S. law requiring ByteDance to sell TikTok took effect on January 19, but Trump delayed its enforcement by 75 days to allow time for negotiations.
Among the bidders for TikTok’s U.S. assets is former Los Angeles Dodgers owner Frank McCourt, who has teamed up with Reddit co-founder Alexis Ohanian. Their bid, called “The People’s Bid,” focuses on enhancing user data privacy.
Trump has suggested that any deal should ensure at least 50% U.S. ownership, while also warning China that interference could result in tariffs as high as 100%. Meanwhile, TikTok maintains that it operates independently and does not share user data with Beijing.
With the deadline approaching, negotiations continue as potential buyers position themselves to acquire one of the world’s most popular social media platforms.
