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Donald Trump seeks TikTok payment to US, despite no clear authority

It would be unprecedented, based on recent history, for the US government to collect a cut of a transaction involving companies in which it doesn't hold a stake

Donald Trump. (Bloomberg photo)
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Donald Trump said "The United States should get a very large percentage of that price, because we’re making it possible". (Bloomberg photo)

Justin Sink | Bloomberg
President Donald Trump repeatedly insisted on Monday that any sale of TikTok’s US operations would have to include a substantial payment to the US -- but it wasn’t clear under what authority he can extract a payout.

It would be unprecedented, based on recent history, for the US government to collect a cut of a transaction involving companies in which it doesn’t hold a stake. Trump said the money would come from China or an American buyer such as Microsoft Corp.

“The United States should get a very large percentage of that price, because we’re making it possible,” Trump told reporters at

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