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.

President Donald Trump apparently has no qualms about turning the fate of TikTok into a public bidding war. When prompted by specific questions from reporters, the new president tossed out some of the biggest names in the tech world as possible buyers of TikTok’s US operations — a deal that would allow the platform to get around a ban imposed by