Rupert Murdoch and his son, Lachlan Murdoch, may be involved in potential efforts to acquire TikTok within the United States, as suggested by former President Donald Trump during an interview on Sunday. The interview, conducted by Peter Doocy for Fox News’ The Sunday Briefing, addressed the ongoing discussions regarding the sale of the app, which is currently owned by the China-based company ByteDance. Officials from the Trump administration have indicated that a deal might be imminent, although there remains some ambiguity about the current status of the agreement.
During the interview, Trump referenced prominent business figures Larry Ellison and Michael Dell as participants in the potential deal, specifically mentioning Lachlan Murdoch as one of the individuals involved. He remarked on the significance of their involvement, describing both Murdochs as notable individuals who have American interests at heart.
Reports indicate that any investment from the Murdochs would likely be through their Fox Corporation, rather than as personal investors. This context raises questions about the organizational structure and motivations behind the acquisition efforts.
Fox Corporation representatives did not provide immediate comments on the matter. Trump’s remarks came amid ongoing controversies surrounding his relationship with media outlets owned by Rupert Murdoch, including a recent lawsuit against the Wall Street Journal for its reporting on Trump’s past interactions.
Legislatively, Congress passed a law in 2024 aimed at prohibiting TikTok’s operations in the U.S. without a sale to an American company, citing national security and privacy concerns. The Trump administration has made several extensions to the deadlines related to the compliance of this law. As of now, TikTok has approximately 170 million users in the U.S. Additionally, White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt noted that a proposed governance structure for the new TikTok would include six American representatives on its board and outline data governance under Oracle, a company founded by Ellison.
Source: https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2025/sep/21/trump-rupert-lachlan-murdoch-tiktok