Trump Suggests Lachlan Murdoch May Join TikTok Deal

On Sunday, President Trump indicated that Lachlan Murdoch, who leads Fox Corp. and News Corp., might be part of a group of American investors looking to acquire control of TikTok’s US operations. Other notable figures in this potential deal include tech giants Larry Ellison and Michael Dell.

“I think they’ll be in the group,” Trump stated in an interview with Fox News. He described the investors as “wonderful people” who are well-known and deeply patriotic, suggesting they will manage the acquisition effectively.

Interestingly, he also mentioned that Rupert Murdoch, the former head of Fox and a long-time News Corp. executive, could play a role in this venture.

Ellison’s participation in the deal hasn’t gone unnoticed and has already been reported. White House Press Secretary Carolina Leavitt mentioned that his company, Oracle, is set to oversee the data and security aspects of TikTok’s video sharing capabilities.

It was noted that out of the planned board members for this new company, six of the seven seats would be held by Americans.

Many details surrounding this transaction still remain unclear. Trump and China’s President Xi Jinping recently discussed the deal during a call on Friday. Both US and Chinese officials must finalize arrangements by December 16th, which is the deadline for this extension.

Interestingly, Trump has postponed enforcing laws that would mandate TikTok’s parent company, ByteDance, to either sell the social media app or face a US ban over national security concerns on four separate occasions.

Sources close to the matter have clarified that Lachlan Murdoch’s role is mainly associated with Fox.

As of now, neither Oracle nor Dell Technologies has responded to inquiries for comments.