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President Donald Trump has expressed openness to the idea of tech moguls Elon Musk and Larry Ellison acquiring the embattled social media platform TikTok. This statement came during a press conference where Trump was joined by Ellison, SoftBank’s Masayoshi Son, and OpenAI’s Sam Altman to announce a massive $500 billion investment in artificial intelligence infrastructure.
Trump, in his characteristic straightforward manner, addressed the room, “Larry, let’s negotiate in front of the media,” suggesting a live negotiation for the purchase of TikTok. He proposed a deal where the buyer would give half of TikTok to the United States in exchange for operational permits. “What I’m thinking about saying to somebody is, buy it, and give half to the United States of America. Half, and we’ll give you the permit. And they’ll have a great partner, the United States,” Trump outlined.
Ellison responded with a nod to the potential deal, saying, “Sounds like a good deal to me, Mr. President.”
However, the proposal raises numerous questions about legal feasibility, especially concerning the First Amendment and how the U.S. government could co-own a platform without influencing free speech. This move could be seen as one of the initial indicators of how Trump’s administration might interact with Silicon Valley, potentially blurring lines between tech giants and government policy.
Just a day earlier, Trump had signed an executive order aiming to delay the enforcement of a law that would force ByteDance, TikTok’s Chinese parent company, to sell its U.S. operations. This law, upheld by the Supreme Court, set a deadline for ByteDance to divest its U.S. operations or face a ban. Trump’s order offers a 75-day reprieve, but legal experts are skeptical about its effectiveness. They argue that service providers like Oracle, Apple, and Google could still face significant fines for non-compliance with the existing law, despite Trump’s assurances.
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Oracle, in particular, has seemed to take Trump at his word, assisting TikTok to remain operational in the U.S. post-deadline. However, no direct statement from Oracle regarding this involvement has been forthcoming.
Beyond Musk and Ellison, TikTok has attracted other potential buyers. Billionaire Frank McCourt, through his Project Liberty, has made an offer, emphasizing a sale without ByteDance’s proprietary algorithm, which is a non-negotiable asset for the Chinese government. Additionally, there’s buzz around YouTube star MrBeast, who is part of an investor group, backed by legal expertise that includes connections to Trump’s political circle.
As the press conference wrapped up, a reporter quizzed Trump on his personal usage of TikTok. With a playful tone, he replied, “No, but I think I might put it there. I think I’ll get it right now,” hinting at a possible personal endorsement of the platform.
This scenario paints a complex picture of technology, politics, and commerce, where the future of a globally popular app hangs in the balance, potentially shifting national security, data privacy, and international trade dynamics.
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