President Donald Trump has said Tesla CEO Elon Musk and Oracle Chairman Larry Ellison are open to acquiring TikTok as part of a joint venture with the U.S. government.
At a press conference on Tuesday, President Trump was asked if he was open to “Elon buying TikTok.” He replied that he would, and added, “I'd like Larry to buy one, too.”
President Trump on Monday signed an executive order delaying TikTok's ban by 75 days and directing the Justice Department not to enforce the ban's penalties. The app is back online, but you can't find it in the app store yet.
To preserve the app, President Trump is considering a deal in which the government would give the company permission to operate in the United States in exchange for half of TikTok.
“I have the right to make an agreement,” Trump said. “So what I'm going to say to somebody is, if you buy this and give half to the United States and half, we'll give you a permit.”