Trump Says Microsoft Interested in Buying TikTok: What We Know
January 28, 2025
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Microsoft is in discussions to acquire TikTok’s U.S. operations, President Donald Trump told reporters aboard Air Force One on Monday night.
This development comes after Trump temporarily paused a nationwide ban on the popular Chinese-owned video-sharing app, which had been ordered by the Supreme Court over national security concerns.
Newsweek reached out to a Trump spokesperson via email on Monday for comment.
In this photo illustration, a smartphone screen displays the logo of social media app TikTok on January 15 in Bath, England. (Photo by Anna Barclay/Getty Images) In this photo illustration, a smartphone screen displays the logo of social media app TikTok on January 15 in Bath, England. (Photo by Anna Barclay/Getty Images)
Why It Matters
The potential acquisition could resolve concerns over TikTok’s ties to the Chinese government, which lawmakers fear could enable foreign powers to access user data and influence American users. ByteDance, TikTok’s parent company, is said to be seeking a $200 billion valuation for the app.
The president on January 21 signed an executive order extending the deadline for ByteDance to divest from the app, just one day after a law banning it took effect.
Before taking office, Trump suggested that the U.S. should own 50 percent of TikTok, though it is unclear whether he meant partial nationalization or private American investors holding a majority stake.
The deal would also place TikTok’s algorithm under U.S. company control, potentially satisfying lawmakers who have demanded ByteDance’s complete divestiture.
What To Know
Trump made two key statements about TikTok on Monday. First, aboard Air Force One, when specifically asked if Microsoft is in discussions to purchase the app, Trump responded: “I would say yes. A lot of interest in TikTok. There’s great interest in TikTok.”
Earlier that day, while addressing Republican lawmakers at his Doral resort in Miami, Trump elaborated: “We’ll see what happens. We’re going to have a lot of people bidding on it, and if we can save all that voice and all the jobs, and China won’t be involved, we don’t want China involved, but we’ll see what happens.”
The rumored previous negotiations, as reported by NPR, involved a group of U.S. investors, including Oracle and potentially Microsoft, taking control of TikTok’s global operations from ByteDance.
Under this proposed structure, ByteDance would maintain a minority stake, while Oracle and Microsoft would oversee TikTok’s algorithm and data collection.
What People Are Saying
Republican House Speaker Mike Johnson told NBC on Sunday: “When President Trump issued the Truth [Social] post and said, ‘Save TikTok,’ the way we read that is that he’s going to try to force along a true divestiture, changing of hands, the ownership … It’s not the platform that members of Congress are concerned about. It’s the Chinese Communist Party and their manipulation of the algorithms—they have been flooding the minds of American children with terrible messages glorifying violence and antisemitism and even suicide and eating disorders.”
What Happens Next
The outcome of the proposed deal is expected to be revealed in the coming days.
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