As the Jan. 19 date for a TikTok ban approaches, another name is emerging as a potential buyer: SpaceX and Tesla CEO Elon Musk, who already owns X.

After years of rejecting the idea of a sale of TikTok’s US assets to an American buyer in order to avert a ban, China and ByteDance may have found an owner they could live with: Elon Musk.

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 on Tuesday said he would be supportive of the world's richest man and his close aide, Elon Musk, buying TikTok "if he wanted to". Trump was asked if he would be open to the billionaire founder of Tesla buying the short-video platform facing a nationwide ban in the US after the Supreme Court last week upheld a law requiring TikTok to sever ties with its Chinese parent ByteDance.

Donald Trump signed an executive order delaying the US ban on ByteDance's TikTok for 75 days, starting January 19.

I met with the owners of Tiktok, the big owners, it’s worthless if it doesn’t get a permit,” Trump said. “It’s worth like a trillion dollars.”

President Trump indicated that he would be open to Tesla CEO Elon Musk or Oracle CEO Larry Ellison buying TikTok.

US President Donald Trump has stated that he is open to the idea of Elon Musk or Larry Ellison buying up TikTok.

In an effort to save TikTok, President Donald Trump, who has gained 15 million followers on the app since last year, is pressuring China to sell half the company to the United States.

President Donald Trump said Tuesday that he would be in favor of Elon Musk or Larry Ellison purchasing TikTok and giving half ownership with the U.S. government.

President Donald Trump on Tuesday said he would be open to the possibility of having his billionaire ally Elon Musk buy the U.S. operations of TikTok in his latest comments on the popular social media platform.