Politics

Trump Says Murdochs to Join TikTok US Investment Group

Published SEP 22 2025

Story

Image credit: Ricardo Rubio/Europa Press/Getty Images

The Facts

U.S. President Donald Trump announced on Fox News' The Sunday Briefing that media executives Lachlan Murdoch and his father, Rupert Murdoch, are expected to join a group of American investors in acquiring TikTok's U.S. operations from Chinese parent company ByteDance.
CNBC
The Wall Street Journal
The proposed investment consortium includes technology moguls Larry Ellison, co-founder of Oracle Corporation, and Michael Dell, CEO of Dell Technologies, alongside the Murdochs in what Trump described as a group of American patriots.
CNN
The Telegraph
White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt stated that TikTok's U.S. operations will be overseen by a seven-member board with six American members. Meanwhile, Oracle will handle data and privacy, with American control of the algorithm.
CNBC
The Australian
The deal stems from congressional legislation passed in April 2024, which requires ByteDance to sell approximately 80% of TikTok's U.S. assets to American investors or face a nationwide ban due to national security concerns.
Al Jazeera
CNN
Financial Times
Trump and Chinese President Xi Jinping held discussions on Friday regarding the TikTok agreement, with the White House indicating the deal could be finalized in the coming days before the current deadline extension expires.
Guardian
The Australian
The Murdoch family's involvement would likely occur through Fox Corporation rather than individual investments, potentially providing the media conglomerate with influence over a platform serving approximately 170 million American users.
Guardian
The Telegraph
The Times (UK)

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The Spin

Pro-establishment narrative

With Murdoch, Dell, and Ellison backing the TikTok deal, its success is all but assured. Their financial resources, media reach, and tech infrastructure provide the platform with stability, while a U.S.-led board helps alleviate concerns about national security. This is power meeting pragmatism — the investors gain influence, Washington claims victory and TikTok survives to thrive.

The New York Times

BBC News

Establishment-critical narrative

The TikTok saga has devolved into a circus — a White House–run auction where billionaires, media moguls, and even YouTubers circle like vultures. What began as a national security concern now appears to be a seedy scramble for profit and influence, with Trump's whims and Beijing's leverage fueling the chaos. Order, clarity, and principle are nowhere to be found.