Trump Reveals Murdoch Family Role in TikTok Deal

Murdoch Media Empire Enters TikTok Ownership Battle

President Donald Trump has confirmed that media moguls Rupert and Lachlan Murdoch will likely play significant roles in the U.S. TikTok acquisition deal, marking a dramatic expansion of the Murdoch family's media influence into social media territory.

During an interview on Fox News' "The Sunday Briefing," Trump revealed that the Murdochs would join Oracle co-founder Larry Ellison and Dell Technologies CEO Michael Dell in the consortium taking control of the popular video-sharing platform. "They're very well-known people," Trump stated, "Larry Ellison is one of them. He's involved. This great guy, Michael Dell is involved. I hate to tell you this, but a man named Lachlan is involved."

Board Control and National Security Concerns

The deal, announced by White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt on Saturday, establishes that TikTok will be majority-owned by Americans with seven board seats controlling the app's U.S. operations. Six of these seats will be held by American citizens, addressing longstanding national security concerns about Chinese ownership through ByteDance.

A source familiar with the negotiations told NBC News that while Lachlan Murdoch wouldn't participate individually, Fox Corporation would serve an official role in the arrangement. This development comes just weeks after Lachlan Murdoch secured control of the family's media empire following a contentious succession battle with his siblings.

Political Dynamics and Legal Background

The Murdoch involvement presents complex political dynamics, given Trump's ongoing $10 billion lawsuit against Fox Corporation and Rupert Murdoch over a Wall Street Journal article about Jeffrey Epstein. Despite this legal conflict, Trump indicated both Murdochs would participate, saying "Rupert is, is probably going to be in the group. I think they're going to be in the group."

The TikTok deal follows the Protecting Americans from Foreign Adversary Controlled Applications Act (PAFACA), which mandated ByteDance divest TikTok by January 2025. Trump has extended this deadline multiple times while negotiating the current arrangement. Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent announced last week that U.S. and Chinese officials had reached a "framework" for the sale, affecting TikTok's 170 million American users.

Oracle, Ellison's company, will manage data and privacy aspects of TikTok under the agreement, while Dell's involvement represents new information about the deal's structure. Source: Wikipedia - PAFACA