President Donald Trump on Monday said he would welcome a “bidding war” for TikTok as he appeared to confirm that Microsoft is among the companies that have declared interest in acquiring the popular social media platform. Trump told reporters aboard Air Force One he has an affinity for bidding wars.

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

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.

A bidding war is heating up between buyers of TikTok’s U.S. operations, President Donald Trump revealed. Trump extended the deadline for TikTok to find a

The new president is tossing out some of the biggest names in the tech world as possible buyers of TikTok’s US operations, most recently Microsoft. 'I like bidding wars because you make your best deals.

Microsoft attempted to make a bid on TikTok during Trump’s first time in the White House when he tried to ban the app.

It was late Monday that President Trump informed reporters that Microsoft has been in negotiations with ByteDance regarding a potential TikTok acquisition, according to Reuters. Despite the President’s claims, Microsoft and ByteDance have declined to comment on the matter.

TikTok needs to find new ownership to avoid an effective ban in the US which could kick-in in April and Donald Trump believes a host of companies are interested in buying it