Microsoft Corp.  , is in conversations to get the , U. S.  , shoulder of ByteDance Ltd.’s TikTok, President , Donald Trump , said Monday evening, without elaborating.
When asked if Microsoft is in discussions to buy the game, Trump responded,” I may say yes.” ” A lot of attention in TikTok. There’s tremendous interest in TikTok”.
The small video game, used by more than 170 million Americans, has drawn attention from many sides of the , U. S.  , software market. AI company Perplexity has submitted a bid to connect with TikTok US, while billionaire , Frank McCourt, previous user of the , Los Angeles Dodgers, made a proper offer to buy TikTok earlier this month.  , Microsoft , and , Oracle Corp.  , were in the running to get TikTok in 2020, when Trump initially pressured ByteDance to either buy in the , U. S.  , or face a restrictions.
Microsoft refrained from commenting on rumors of its presence in a deal.
Trump previously Monday in , Florida , addressed a meeting of Republican politicians and had alluded to continuing talks surrounding TikTok’s coming. He has since changed his mind, in part because of the popularity of pro-Trump information among its users, despite having formerly favored banning the game on national security grounds.
” We’ll see what happens. We’re going to include a lot of people bidding on it, and if we can keep all that message and all the work, and , China , won’t be involved, we don’t want , China , involved, but we’ll see what happens”, he said in his discourse, referring to the video-sharing game.
Trump granted a 75-day relief for ByteDance from a regulation that stipulates it must offer its , U. S.  , operations to a local company— and he’s today encouraging more bidders to get involved.
Because you can negotiate the best offer, I enjoy bidding war. But if there’s a bidding war, that’s a nice thing”, Trump said.
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