Trump Says Murdochs Likely to Be Part of TikTok Deal

Scenes From Premiere of Fox News "The Sunday Briefing"

President Donald Trump announced on Sunday that media mogul Lachlan Murdoch, Oracle co-founder Larry Ellison, and Dell Technologies CEO Michael Dell would be U.S. investors in a proposed deal to keep TikTok operating in the United States. The deal would transfer TikTok’s U.S. assets from China’s ByteDance to American owners, with U.S. investors holding majority ownership and a board with national security and cybersecurity expertise overseeing operations, according to a White House official cited by Reuters.

ByteDance’s current shareholders, including Susquehanna International Group, General Atlantic, and KKR, would see ByteDance hold less than 20% of a joint venture controlling TikTok’s U.S. operations. Trump, speaking on Fox News’ “The Sunday Briefing,” praised the investors as “American patriots” and credited TikTok with boosting his support among young voters in the 2024 election.

The investment would come through Fox Corp, not individually from the Murdochs or News Corp, sources told Reuters. Lachlan Murdoch, CEO of Fox Corp, recently secured control of the family’s media empire, including Fox News and the Wall Street Journal, after a legal dispute with his siblings. Rupert Murdoch, 94, may also be involved, Trump noted. The Murdochs’ conservative-leaning outlets have occasionally clashed with Trump, including a defamation lawsuit he filed against the Wall Street Journal over a report about a 2003 birthday greeting to Jeffrey Epstein.

The Trump administration has opted not to enforce a 2024 law requiring TikTok’s divestiture by January 2025, citing concerns about Chinese access to U.S. user data. Instead, TikTok negotiations are part of broader economic talks with China.