ByteDance, TikTok’s parent company, is required to sell the app to a U.S.-based buyer or face a nationwide ban.

US President Donald Trump has said that Microsoft is in discussions to acquire TikTok and that he would like to see a "bidding war" over the sale of the social media app. When asked by reporters whether the US tech giant was preparing a bid,

I would say, yes,” Trump told reporters aboard Air Force One when asked if the software giant was bidding to buy TikTok from its Chinese parent company ByteDance.