Former President Donald Trump ignited a firestorm Sunday after claiming media moguls Rupert Murdoch and his son Lachlan are “probably” joining the high-stakes takeover of TikTok’s U.S. operations. Speaking on Fox News, Trump suggested the Murdochs would be part of an investor group that includes Oracle’s Larry Ellison and Dell Technologies CEO Michael Dell.
The revelation comes as Fox Corp, led by Lachlan Murdoch, is reportedly in talks to back the forced spinoff of TikTok from its Chinese parent, ByteDance. Under the White House’s terms, Americans would control six of seven board seats, and the app’s powerful algorithm would be U.S.-run, according to Bloomberg.
White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt confirmed that a deal framework has been finalized, with only signatures pending. Meanwhile, Trump said China’s President Xi Jinping approved the arrangement, a striking twist after months of U.S.-China tension over the app.
If completed, the deal would leave ByteDance with less than 20% ownership, effectively stripping Chinese control over the platform. TikTok, which briefly went dark in the U.S. earlier this year, credited both Trump and Xi for ensuring the app’s survival in America.
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