'Microsoft in talks to buy TikTok'

US President Donald Trump confirmed that Microsoft is in discussions to acquire TikTok, expressing interest in seeing a "bidding war" over the popular social media app.

When asked by reporters whether Microsoft was preparing a bid, Trump responded affirmatively, adding that several companies have shown strong interest in acquiring the app.

For years, both Trump and his successor, Joe Biden, have pushed for TikTok’s Chinese parent company, ByteDance, to sell its US operations on national security grounds.

The debate has intensified, with concerns over user data security and potential influence from China.

This development follows Trump’s recent signing of an executive order that delayed a Biden Administration-imposed TikTok ban, which temporarily took the app offline for the 170 million US users.

The 75-day reprieve was granted by Trump, who had been the first president to pressure ByteDance to divest its US business.

In 2020, ByteDance approached Microsoft as a potential buyer, though the deal never materialised. Later, TikTok explored a partnership with Oracle, but that arrangement also fell through.

Despite this, Trump has indicated that discussions about selling TikTok are ongoing, with the possibility of a decision being made within the next month.

A Microsoft spokesperson declined to comment on the matter, and TikTok has yet to respond to requests for comment.

Trump, speaking to a group of Republican politicians in Florida earlier this week, noted that multiple parties are interested in bidding for TikTok.