Trump is open to Musk or Oracle acquiring TikTok

US President Donald Trump said he would be open to billionaire Elon Musk or Oracle chairman Larry Ellison acquiring TikTok as part of a joint venture with the US government.

Speaking at a White House event with Ellison on Tuesday, Trump said: "I have the authority to make a deal. I would say buy it and give half to the United States."

He added: "Your (TikTok's) assets are either worth nothing or trillions of dollars, it all depends on whether the US grants a license."

TikTok was briefly offline in the United States over the weekend, but Trump extended the ban by 75 days on Monday, his first day in office.

Oracle helped restore TikTok, which was shut down in the US for about 14 hours, after Mr Trump promised not to enforce the ban, but could face fines as a result.

Bytedance had previously publicly refused to sell TikTok, but potential buyers hoped that the Supreme Court ruling and the brief shutdown of TikTok might prompt the company to reconsider.

That prospect has bidders excited. A group of U.S. investors, assembled by tech entrepreneur Jesse Tinsley, announced Tuesday that they have joined the acquisition, including the well-known American YouTuber "MrBeast."

Amazon and Oracle, which already do business with TikTok, are also rumored to be in the running.