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

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.