U.S. President Donald Trump speaks in the Oval Office at the White House in Washington, D.C., U.S., Sept. 19, 2025.
Ken Cedeno | Reuters
President Donald Trump said in an interview that aired Sunday that conservative media baron Rupert Murdoch and his son Lachlan are likely to be involved in the deal to save TikTok in the United States.
“A man named Lachlan is involved,” Trump said on Fox News’ “The Sunday Briefing.”
“Lachlan Murdoch … Rupert [Murdoch] is probably gonna be in the group, I think they’re going to be in the group,” he continued.
Trump also said that Oracle executive chairman Larry Ellison and Dell Technologies CEO Michael Dell are also likely to be involved in the TikTok deal.
“Couple of others, really great people, very prominent people,” Trump said.
“And they’re also American patriots, you know, they love this country. So I think they’re going to do a really good job,” he continued.
A person familiar told CNBC that Lachlan Murdoch is unlikely to participate in the TikTok deal individually, but Fox Corporation, where Lachlan Murdoch is executive chair and CEO, could play a role.
Trump’s remarks come as the details of the deal to allow TikTok — currently owned by Chinese company ByteDance — to continue operating in the United States are still being worked out by Trump and Chinese leader Xi Jinping.
Congress last year passed a bill that would ban the popular social media platform unless ByteDance divested from U.S. operations amid national security concerns.
The White House provided new details of a possible deal on Saturday, saying that six of the seven-member board that controls TikTok will be Americans.
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The U.S. will also control the app’s algorithm, according to White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt, addressing a major sticking point in negotiations.
Leavitt also said that data and privacy for the app in the U.S. will be led by Oracle.
Trump and Xi had a call on Friday about the possible TikTok deal. After the call, Trump said that the deal “is well on its way, as you know, and the investors are getting ready.”
But China, in its own statement, suggested that the two sides are still further apart on negotiations.
“China’s position on the TikTok issue is clear: the Chinese government respects the will of companies and is pleased to see companies conduct business negotiations on the basis of market rules and reach solutions that comply with Chinese laws and regulations and balance interests,” a translated readout from Chinese state-run news agency Xinhua read.
“We hope the U.S. side will provide an open, fair, and non-discriminatory business environment for Chinese companies investing in the United States,” the statement read.
CNBC has reached out to the White House and TikTok for comment.