Rupert Murdoch and his son, Lachlan Murdoch, are expected to acquire TikTok in the US, as Donald Trump mentioned during an interview on Sunday.
In an interview with Peter Doocy at Fox News’ Sunday briefing, the president was asked about the app’s sales status. Officials from the Trump administration indicated that transactions involving China-owned social media platforms are forthcoming, resulting in some confusion regarding the status of the contract.
Trump stated that moguls Larry Ellison and Michael Dell were participating in the deal, adding:
“Rupert will likely be part of the group. I believe they will join the team. They are fantastic individuals, well-known in their fields, and they are true American patriots. They care about this country, which will ensure they perform admirably.”
Part of these transactions includes Fox Corporation as one of TikTok’s investing entities. According to a report by CNN on Sunday, Rupert and Lachlan are not participating as individual investors.
Representatives from Fox, which is owned by Rupert Murdoch and led by his son Lachlan Murdoch, did not respond to a request for comment. Trump’s remarks followed his lawsuit against Rupert Murdoch’s Wall Street Journal regarding the publication revealing that he wrote crude poems and graffiti for a book edited for Jeffrey Epstein’s 50th birthday back in 2003.
In 2024, Congress enacted a law banning TikTok, owned by the China-based company ByteDance, unless it was sold to a US entity, citing national security and privacy issues. The Trump administration delayed the law and extended the deadline for the transfer multiple times. Currently, the app has approximately 170 million users in the US, and feels Trump contributed to his re-election in 2024 on Sunday.
White House Press Secretary Caroline Leavitt reported to Fox News on Saturday that six Americans will hold seats on the company’s seven-member committee, managing data and privacy through Oracle, Ellison’s firm. Leavitt indicated that the US also governs data and algorithms for American applications.
“This deal prioritizes America,” Leavitt affirmed on Saturday. “Let me clarify: this transaction ensures that TikTok is predominantly owned by Americans.”
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