Watch: Donald Trump tries to negotiate TikTok sale on live TV

Trump tries to negotiate TikTok sale on live TV. Source: The White House

Transcript

00:00So the deal I'm thinking about, Larry, let's negotiate in front of the media.

00:04The deal I think is this, and I've met with owners of TikTok, the big owners, it's worthless

00:13if it doesn't get a permit.

00:14It's not like, oh, you can take the U.S.

00:16The whole thing is worthless.

00:18With a permit, it's worth like a trillion dollars.

00:22So what I'm thinking about saying to somebody is buy it and give half to the United States

00:28of America, half, and we'll give you the permit.

00:30And they'll have a great partner, the United States, and they'll have something that's

00:34actually more valuable because they have the ultimate partner and the United States will

00:39make it very worthwhile for them in terms of the permits and everything else.

00:43But so think of it, you have an asset that has no value or has a trillion dollar value.

00:50It all depends on whether or not the United States gives the permit.

00:52So what I'm saying is let the United States give the permit and the United States should

00:57get half.

00:58Sounds reasonable.

00:59What do you think?

01:00Sounds like a good deal to me, Mr. President.

01:03Yeah.

01:04He can afford it, too.