Former President Donald Trump has proposed an unconventional idea: Elon Musk or Larry Ellison should buy TikTok, but only if the US government gets a 50% stake in the deal. This controversial plan raises eyebrows given Trump’s pro-business reputation.

Donald J. Trump, serving his second term as President, is reportedly open to the idea of big tech figures like Elon Musk or Oracle’s Larry Ellison acquiring TikTok. However, Trump’s vision comes with a surprising twist: he believes the US government deserves half the social media platform.

Speaking at a White House event, Trump elaborated on this proposal. “What I’m thinking of saying to someone is, buy it and give half to the United States. We’ll grant the permit, and they’ll have a fantastic partner,” Trump reportedly said, according to Bloomberg.

The underlying issue here is compliance with a Supreme Court ruling that upheld a law effectively banning TikTok in the US, primarily due to security concerns tied to its Chinese ownership. Selling TikTok to a US-based buyer would seemingly resolve these issues.

Trump’s insistence on a government stake adds his unique spin to the scenario. “You have an asset that’s either worthless or worth a trillion dollars. It depends entirely on whether the United States grants the permit,” Trump said. This reasoning suggests the government’s permission inherently gives the app its value and justifies a stake.

Applying this logic broadly, however, raises questions. Does the US government’s oversight grant it the right to take a share of all businesses? TikTok’s case raises the unusual possibility of federal ownership in a major tech and social media firm, which contrasts sharply with Trump’s traditionally free-market policies.

For context, TikTok briefly went offline in the US over the weekend before Trump signed an executive order granting the app a 75-day extension to comply with the new regulations. Whether Trump had the authority to issue this order remains unclear, and a legal battle could escalate to the Supreme Court, potentially resolving the matter before the deadline.

Bloomberg reports that ByteDance, TikTok’s Chinese parent company, remains steadfast in its refusal to sell. Some speculate, however, that a deal could still materialize if it excludes TikTok’s prized content algorithm.

Where this saga leads is anyone’s guess. Under normal circumstances, Musk simultaneously owning X and TikTok might draw antitrust scrutiny. But given his close ties to Trump, those concerns may not hold much weight.

As for the US government’s hypothetical stake in TikTok, it’s unclear how serious Trump is about that aspect. The 75-day timeline should shed light on the matter—or leave us with even more questions.

Source: PC Gamer