&w=3840&q=100)
‘Hope Xi does it': Trump hints at mystery buyer for TikTok but keeps name under wraps
After claiming imminent deal for TikTok twice before, US President Donald Trump has yet again said that he has a potential buyer for TikTok. He said he will name the buyer in two weeks. read more
A 3D-printed miniature model of U.S. PresidentDonald Trump and TikTok logo are seen in this illustration. File image/ Reuters
US President Donald Trump has said that TikTok has a potential buyer and he could announce the deal within two weeks.
This is not the first time, however, that Trump has made such an announcement. He had said the same in January and March only to grant TikTok extensions to the waiver from a ban.
Last year, Congress passed a bill and then-President Joe Biden signed it into law that said that TikTok must either sell its US operations to a non-Chinese entity or get banned in the United States. The ban came shortly before Trump's inauguration, but Trump swore to keep the social media platform afloat and granted it a waiver and then two extensions — first in April and second in June.
STORY CONTINUES BELOW THIS AD
ALSO READ: TikTok manipulates content, brainwashes users into liking China, finds research
Even though TikTok has been proven to be a tool of the Communist Party of China (CPC) to peddle its propaganda and carry out influence operations, Trump vowed to save the app as he believes influencers on the app played a key role in his victory in the 2024 presidential election.
'We have a buyer'
More than three months after he said there were four potential buyers , Trump has now narrowed it to one. He did not take any names.
In an interview with Maria Bartiromo for Fox News, Trump said that he hoped Chinese President Xi Jinping would approve the deal.
As TikTok is owned by a Chinese company, ByteDance, the Chinese regime would need to approve any sale of TikTok's US operations.
'We have a buyer for TikTok by the way. I think I will need probably China's approval and I think President Xi will probably do it. It's a group of very wealthy people,' said Trump.
When asked about the name of the buyer, Trump said 'I'll tell you in about two weeks'.
Previously, media reports have said that at least four individual and institutional buyers had shown interest in buying TikTok.
Previously, Oracle along with other investors like Microsoft discussed a deal to buy TikTok, Perplexity AI proposed to merge with TikTok, YouTuber Mr Beast offered to buy the platform, and billionaire Frank McCourt submitted a proposal backed by investor Kevin O'Leary and Guggenheim Securities to buy TikTok, according to Forbes.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Mint
25 minutes ago
- Mint
Hong Kong on track to reclaim global IPO crown
After years of lackluster IPO activity, Hong Kong is back on track to be the world's No. 1 listing destination. So far this year, there have been 41 initial public offerings in the city, Dealogic data show. At US$13.66 billion, offering proceeds have already surpassed the total sum raised during 2024. The revival is being fueled by Chinese companies, which are flocking to the city as more favorable policies and improved market liquidity create attractive conditions. Excluding blank-check companies, Hong Kong Exchanges & Clearing topped Dealogic's tally of IPO fundraising in the first half of the year. The Nasdaq and the New York Stock Exchange placed second and third, respectively, the financial markets platform said. Hong Kong IPO activity had been subdued for the past several years amid postpandemic risk-off sentiment, high interest rates and a tepid stock market. In 2023, there were only 73 listings, and just US$5.90 billion raised, according to HKEX data. The current boom is the result of multiple factors, including Chinese policy tailwinds, market dynamics and a more robust corporate pipeline, said Jacky Lai, capital market services spokesperson at EY Hong Kong. Recent U.S.-China tensions haven't deterred activity. Rather, Hong Kong has become a preferred IPO destination for Chinese firms, a trend supported by worries that the Trump administration could order delistings from U.S. exchanges. Hong Kong also has a key role in Chinese policymakers' efforts to breathe life back into capital markets, streamlining offering processes and vowing to open up access for investors. Beijing's stimulus rollouts, including more funding and interest-rate cuts, have further underpinned business confidence. In February, Chinese President Xi Jinping held a rare meeting with corporate leaders during which he signaled that he needed their help to deliver economic growth and self-sufficiency. The encounter was taken as a pro-business shift, coming after years of regulatory crackdowns on private-sector companies. The emergence of Chinese artificial-intelligence startup DeepSeek has been another catalyst for Hong Kong's deal market. The release of DeepSeek's low-cost but powerful model in January fueled a rally in Chinese tech stocks as investors reassessed China's capacity for innovation, spurring a rerating of Chinese equities. Chinese tech stocks have helped make Hong Kong one of the best-performing equities markets in Asia this year, pushing the benchmark Hang Seng Index up about 20% so far in 2025. The buzzing market has drawn in a flurry of companies, such as Chinese battery giant Contemporary Amperex Technology. Already listed in Shenzhen, CATL raised almost US$4.6 billion in gross proceeds in a secondary listing in Hong Kong last month—the world's largest such offering so far this year. On Friday alone, 16 Chinese companies filed applications to list on HKEX's main board. The following Monday, another six started to accept investor orders for shares worth nearly US$1.3 billion. The pickup coincides with a return of risk appetite to global equity markets due to easing trade tensions from the peak uncertainty seen in April, particularly between the U.S. and China. If Hong Kong's IPO momentum continues, the city could reclaim its title as the world's largest IPO venue for the first time since 2019, more than US$40 billion was raised in the city. Write to Sherry Qin at
Time of India
27 minutes ago
- Time of India
'If he gets in...': Trump vs Zohran Mamdani escalates as US President threatens to pull the plug in fiery clash
Trump issues omnious warning to Zohran Mamdani Live Events Zohran Mamdani hits back (You can now subscribe to our (You can now subscribe to our Economic Times WhatsApp channel Days after US President Donald Trump called New York City Democratic mayoral candidate Zohran Mamdani 'a communist,' he has again stepped up his attack against the Democratic socialist. The commander-in-chief threatened to cut New York City off from federal funds if Zohran Mamdani "doesn't behave himself" should he be a stern warning against Mamdani, the president called Mamdani a "lunatic" and said it was "inconceivable" that the democratic socialist could actually win the mayoral election. Trump also said that if he should succeed, the new mayor is "going to need to do the right thing, or they're not getting any money."Trump went on a fresh rant against Zohran Mamdani on Sunday on the heels of the 33-year-old's stunning win in the recently concluded Democratic mayoral primary. 'He's a communist. I think it's very bad for New York,' Trump told Fox News' Sunday Morning Futures With Maria Bartiromo. 'But let's say this: If he does get in, I'm going to be president, and he's going to have to do the right thing, or they're not getting any money.'In an interview with Fox News host Maria Bartiromo, Trump argued that a Mamdani victory was 'inconceivable' because he perceived the candidate to be 'a pure communist'.Trump has been on a rant against Mamdani after the latter pulled off a shocking upset against former New York Governor Andrew Cuomo in the closely watched primary last week. The President railed against the fast-rising Democratic star in a Truth Social post after polls closed.'It's finally happened, the Democrats have crossed the line,' he wrote. 'We've had Radical Lefties before, but this is getting a little ridiculous. He looks TERRIBLE, his voice is grating, he's not very smart… Yes, this is a big moment in the History of our Country!'The president doubled down on those insults in his interview with Fox News, branding Mamdani a 'radical left lunatic' — his moniker of choice for many of his perceived political who he would support for New York City mayor, Trump kept it vague.'I don't want to say that because I have a lot of people, a lot of friends,' he said. 'I don't want to get into that. I can tell you this: Whoever's mayor of New York is going to have to behave themselves, or the federal government is coming down very tough on them financially.'"I was very surprised," Trump said, adding that he had "never heard of" Mamdani before the primary, adding, "I don't know who he is."Speaking Sunday with NBC's Meet the Press on Sunday, Mamdani said, 'no, I am not' a communist. Mamdani pushed back in a separate interview, denying that he was a also said that he had 'already had to start to get used to the fact that the president will talk about how I look, how I sound, where I'm from, who I am – ultimately because he wants to distract from what I'm fighting for'.'I have already started to get used to the fact that the president will talk about how I look, how I sound, where I'm from, who I am—ultimately, because he wants to distract from what I'm fighting for,' he shot back.'When we talk about my politics, I call myself a democratic socialist, in many ways, inspired by the words of Dr. King from decades ago, who said: 'Call it democracy, or call it democratic socialism. There has to be a better distribution of wealth for all of God's children in this country,'' Mamdani 33, has yet to secure endorsements from the biggest Democratic officials, including House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries and Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer, both coincidentally of New York. The New York City mayoral election will take place on November 4, 2025.
NDTV
27 minutes ago
- NDTV
"Got To Do Right Thing": Donald Trump's Big Warning To Zohran Mamdani
Washington: US President Donald Trump has threatened to cut federal funding for New York City if favoured mayoral candidate Zohran Mamdani--a democratic socialist-- "doesn't behave himself", should he win the November 4 elections. The Republican leader, however, argued that Mamdani's victory was "inconceivable" because he is a "pure communist" candidate. "Let's say this, if he does get in, I'm going to be president and he is going to have to do the right thing, but they're not getting any money. He's got to do right thing. It's shocking that I would have assumed that. I used to say we will never have a socialist in this country. No, but we'll have a communist. I mean, he's a communist, he's gonna be mayor of New York," Trump said during an interview with Fox News. Trump, who grew up in New York and built his sprawling real estate business there, said Mamdani's victory is "very bad" for the city. "Whoever's mayor of New York is going to have to behave themselves, or the federal government is coming down very tough on them financially," he added. New York gets over $100 billion from the federal government through different entities and programs, according to the city's comptroller data. Mamdani Replies Thirty-three-year-old Mamdani also took to the talk shows on Sunday, asserting he would "absolutely" maintain New York's status as a sanctuary city so that "New Yorkers can get out of the shadows and into the full life of the city that they belong to." The Indian origin leader, meanwhile, denied he was a communist, as labelled by Trump. Asked directly on NBC's "Meet the Press" whether he is a communist, he said, "No, I am not." "And I have already had to start to get used to the fact that the president will talk about how I look, how I sound, where I'm from, who I am, ultimately because he wants to distract from what I'm fighting for," Mamdani said. "I'm fighting for the very working people that he ran a campaign to empower, that he has since then betrayed." The Ugandan-born state assemblyman had trailed former governor Andrew Cuomo in polls but surged on a message of lower rents, free daycare and buses, and other populist ideas in the notoriously expensive metropolis. His shock win last week resonated as a thunderclap within the Democratic party and drew the ire of Trump and his collaborators, who accused Mamdani of being a radical extremist. Current Mayor Eric Adams is a Democrat but is campaigning for re-election as an independent, while Cuomo may also run unaffiliated.
