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Trump expected to greenlight TikTok U.S. deal via executive order this week

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President Donald Trump is expected to approve a long-awaited deal to secure TikTok’s future in the U.S. through an executive order later this week, the Wall Street Journal reported, citing a senior White House official. The move would bring months of tense U.S.–China negotiations to a close and establish the legal framework for the app to continue operating in America.

The agreement requires TikTok’s U.S. assets to shift under American ownership and management. According to officials, the app’s core algorithm will be “secured, retrained, and operated in the United States outside of ByteDance’s control.”

Key details of the deal include:

  • A new U.S.-based entity will oversee TikTok operations, with a board comprised of directors experienced in national security and cybersecurity.

  • American investors—including media executive Lachlan Murdoch, Oracle co-founder Larry Ellison, and Dell chairman Michael Dell—will play a major role.

  • U.S. firms Oracle and Silver Lake will control about 50% of the new company.

  • Existing investors, such as Susquehanna International, will hold around 30%.

  • ByteDance’s ownership stake will drop below 20%.

To safeguard user data, all information from American TikTok accounts will be stored on U.S.-based cloud infrastructure run by Oracle.

The expected approval reflects Trump’s insistence on limiting Chinese influence over TikTok while keeping the popular video app available to its tens of millions of U.S. users.

Trump says Murdoch, Ellison, Dell lined up as investors in TikTok U.S. deal

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U.S. President Donald Trump said on Sunday that Lachlan Murdoch, Larry Ellison, and Michael Dell would be among the American investors involved in a proposed deal to keep TikTok operating in the United States.

The arrangement is part of ongoing negotiations to transfer TikTok’s U.S. assets away from China’s ByteDance to a U.S.-controlled entity. The app, with 170 million U.S. users, has been at the center of Washington’s national security concerns and a 2024 law requiring divestiture by January 2025.

Key details of the proposed deal:

  • Ownership structure: TikTok’s U.S. operations would be majority-owned by American investors, with ByteDance holding under 20% of shares.

  • Governance: The U.S. entity would be operated domestically by a board with national security and cybersecurity credentials.

  • Investors:

    • Lachlan Murdoch, CEO of Fox Corp, through Fox (not personally). Rupert Murdoch, 94, may also play a role.

    • Larry Ellison, Oracle co-founder and major Republican donor, has long been linked to TikTok negotiations.

    • Michael Dell, CEO of Dell Technologies.

  • Data & algorithm safeguards: All U.S. user data will be stored on Oracle cloud infrastructure, with TikTok’s algorithm retrained and operated under U.S. supervision outside of ByteDance’s control.

Trump’s comments:

Trump praised the investors on Fox News’ The Sunday Briefing, calling them “American patriots” and saying, “I think they’re going to do a really good job.” He also credited TikTok with helping him build youth voter support during the 2024 election.

Political and economic context:

  • The deal remains under scrutiny by Congress, with Democrats warning against giving Beijing influence or allowing Trump’s allies too much control.

  • Trump has delayed enforcement of the shutdown law until December, with a possible extension into April 2025 to finalize terms.

  • The deal is being folded into broader U.S.-China economic talks, reflecting Trump’s transactional approach.

  • It follows other unusual Trump administration interventions in business, such as taking a 10% U.S. stake in Intel and approving Nvidia chip sales to China in exchange for a cut of sales.

Critics argue these maneuvers deviate from free-market norms, while Trump insists they strengthen U.S. leverage and protect national interests.

ByteDance to retain 1 of 7 board seats under U.S.-China TikTok deal

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A U.S.-China agreement on the future of TikTok’s U.S. operations will give ByteDance just one of seven board seats, with the other six held by American directors, a senior White House official said on Saturday.

The deal comes after months of tense negotiations to comply with a 2024 U.S. law requiring TikTok’s American assets to be divested from its Chinese parent or face a ban by January 2025. President Donald Trump has repeatedly delayed enforcement, with the latest pause expected to be extended 120 days into April 2025.

Key details of the agreement:

  • Board structure: 7 members, 6 American + 1 ByteDance representative.

  • Data storage: All U.S. user data to be housed on Oracle-run servers inside the U.S.

  • Algorithm control: TikTok’s recommendation algorithm will be secured, retrained, and supervised in the U.S. with American data, outside of ByteDance’s control.

  • Ownership: ByteDance will retain less than 20% of TikTok U.S., while American investors hold a majority stake.

  • Operations: The U.S. entity will be managed domestically by a board with national security and cybersecurity credentials.

Trump has called the deal “well on its way” and credited TikTok for helping his reelection campaign, noting his own 15 million followers on the app. The White House also recently launched an official TikTok account.

However, lawmakers remain skeptical. Rep. Frank Pallone (D) warned:

“We cannot allow China continued access to massive amounts of Americans’ personal data, and we cannot allow Trump to hand TikTok over to his tech bro buddies and turn it into a MAGA mouthpiece.”

Questions also remain over whether the current arrangement qualifies as a “full divestiture” under U.S. law, as required by Congress. Beijing has not confirmed the level of progress, with Chinese statements emphasizing only that business negotiations should respect market rules and domestic laws.

Despite these concerns, the agreement marks a rare breakthrough in U.S.-China relations, with both sides also planning a Trump-Xi summit in South Korea in late October to discuss TikTok, trade, and security issues.