Trump Claims Murdoch Family Might Be Involved in Group Purchasing TikTok

President Trump said in an interview broadcast Sunday that media magnate Rupert Murdoch and his son, Lachlan, are likely part of a group of potential buyers to purchase TikTok.

Trump, appearing on the first episode of Fox News’s “The Sunday Briefing,” told Peter Doocy that the Murdochs, Oracle executive Larry Ellison and Michael Dell, the CEO of Dell Technologies, were also part of a group of potential buyers to keep the app running in the United States.

“You know, they’re very well-known people. And Larry Ellison is one of them. He’s involved. He’s a great guy. Michael Dell is involved,” Trump said.

“I hate to tell you this, but a man named Lachlan is involved,” Trump said, referring to Lachlan Murdoch, whose family owns Fox News.

“And Rupert is probably gonna be in the group. I think they’re going to be in the group,” Trump said. “Couple of others. Really great people, very prominent people. And they’re also American patriots. You know, they love this country. So I think they’re going to do a really good job.”

Trump said Friday after a call with Chinese President Xi Jinping that the two sides had approved a deal to keep TikTok running in the U.S. after months of uncertainty about the popular video-sharing app’s future under a 2024 law.

The Trump administration, however, has offered few specifics about the deal. And the Chinese government appeared less certain about the status of the talks on Friday, suggesting that the president had agreed to support efforts to reach a “proper deal on TikTok.” 

Large bipartisan majorities voted in favor of a 2024 bill requiring ByteDance, the app’s China-based parent company, to divest from TikTok or face a ban on U.S. networks and app stores. Trump has signed multiple extensions to keep the app available to Americans despite the lack of divestment.

White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt said Saturday on Fox News that the deal, which still needs to be signed, means the app will be “majority-owned by Americans in the United States.” The app’s algorithm “will also be controlled by America as well,” Leavitt said.