Dispute over video app
Trump open to Musk buying Tiktok
According to media reports, the Chinese government is considering selling Tiktok to tech billionaire and Trump ally Elon Musk. Trump can imagine that too.
US President Donald Trump has nothing against tech billionaire Elon Musk taking over Tiktok. Trump said in the White House in response to a question from journalists that he would be open to it if Musk wanted to buy the video app. At the same time, he reiterated that, in his view, Tiktok should be half owned by the USA.
Musk’s name had recently come into conversation through media reports. The Wall Street Journal and the financial service Bloomberg wrote that the Chinese government was considering selling Tiktok to Musk as an option. The tech billionaire and current Trump confidante has significant business interests in China: There is a large factory in Shanghai for the electric car manufacturer Tesla, which he runs.
Musk could link Tiktok to X
Musk already owns the online platform X, which is based on the short messaging service Twitter, which he bought. He supported Trump’s campaign with more than $200 million, making X an even more important platform for the president and his supporters.
The clock is ticking for Tiktok in the USA. A US law required the China-based Tiktok owner Bytedance to separate from Tiktok by last Sunday in order for the app to remain available in the US. However, that didn’t happen and the app went offline over the weekend.
Trump gives Tiktok more time
However, Trump issued an executive order on Monday ordering the Justice Department not to enforce the law’s provisions for 75 days. It remains to be seen whether he can legally do this. Trump is convinced that he can broker a deal for Tiktok. He argues that without the US market, Tiktok is worth nothing and is therefore in a strong negotiating position. Officially, Tiktok always rejected a change of ownership.
The trigger for the law – which Trump also has to adhere to – are concerns that the Chinese government could gain access to data from US users via Tiktok and manipulate public opinion in the USA. Tiktok rejects this.
At the same time, Trump downplayed the data protection concerns. There are bigger problems than information about young Tiktok users falling into Chinese hands, he said on Monday.
dpa
Source: Stern
