US President Donald Trump told reporters that Microsoft is in talks to buy TikTok, adding that he would like to see a bidding war for the app.
Technology company Microsoft has not commented on Trump's claim. Neither TikTok nor ByteDance, which owns the app, have commented.
TikTok, which has nearly 170 million American users, was temporarily banned before a law requiring its Chinese owner, ByteDance, to sell it or face being banned in the United States took effect on January 19.
After taking office on January 20, Trump signed an executive order requesting a 75-day delay in the implementation of the law, citing national security concerns.
US President-elect Donald Trump vowed to use an executive order to lift the federal ban on the platform once he takes office on Monday.
Trump said last week that he was talking to several people about buying TikTok and would like a decision on the future of the popular app to be made within 30 days.
The US president has previously said he is open to billionaire Elon Musk buying the app if the Tesla owner wants to do so. However, Musk has not publicly commented on President Trump's statement.
This is the second time that Microsoft's name has been linked to the potential acquisition of TikTok.
During his first term as president, Trump had demanded that TikTok separate its US version from ByteDance, citing national security concerns.
In 2020, Microsoft was the leading bidder, but talks to buy the app failed./ REL (A2 Televizion)
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