Murdochs among investors in US TikTok deal, Trump says

Rupert Murdoch and his son Lachlan are likely to join a group of US investors seeking to acquire TikTok’s American operations, according to US President Donald Trump.

In an interview aired Sunday on Fox News, Trump said Oracle co-founder Larry Ellison and Dell Technologies founder Michael Dell are also expected to participate in the proposed deal. He praised the potential investors as “American patriots” and said they would “do a really good job.”

The sale is tied to a law passed in April 2024 requiring TikTok’s Chinese parent company, ByteDance, to divest its US arm or face a nationwide ban. Lawmakers pushed for the measure over national security concerns, citing fears that Beijing could gain access to the data of TikTok’s 170 million American users. Enforcement of the law is currently on hold while negotiations continue.

When pressed on the identities of the investors, Trump said: “Larry Ellison is one of them. Michael Dell is involved. Lachlan is involved — do you know who Lachlan is? And Rupert is probably going to be in the group.”

Reports following Trump’s remarks suggested the Murdochs would not invest personally but through Fox Corp., which controls media outlets including Fox News and The Wall Street Journal. Lachlan Murdoch recently assumed full control of the family empire, while Rupert Murdoch, 94, remains chairman emeritus of News Corp.

The White House has signaled that a deal could be finalized soon. Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt said Saturday that Oracle would oversee TikTok’s US data and privacy operations, and that “the algorithm will also be controlled by America.”

If completed, the agreement would bring two of the country’s most influential families — the Murdochs and the Ellisons — into the ownership of one of America’s most popular apps.

China has not yet confirmed the arrangement. State media reported that President Xi Jinping told Trump in a recent call that Beijing “welcomes negotiations.” China’s Commerce Ministry added that it supports talks in line with market rules and national laws.

ByteDance has not commented on the latest developments.