Trump-Backed 'Patriot Alliance' Sees Murdoch, Dell, Ellison Lead Funding in TikTok US Revamp

TradingKey - President Donald Trump stated on Sunday that media mogul Rupert Murdoch along with Lachlan Murdoch, Oracle founder Larry Ellison, and Dell Technologies Chairman Michael Dell, will serve as core American investors in the equity restructuring deal for TikTok's U.S. operations, enabling TikTok to continue operating 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. I hate to tell you this, but a man named Lachlan is involved,” Trump said on Fox News’ “Sunday Briefing,” referring to Lachlan Murdoch — the CEO of Fox Corp., which is the parent company of Fox News — and the son of Fox Corp. founder Rupert Murdoch.

According to sources with knowledge of the matter, the Murdoch family's investment will be made through Fox Corporation, which they control, rather than through personal assets or News Corp funds.

Trump praised potential investors including Ellison and Dell. “I think they’re going to be in the group. A couple of others. Really great people, very prominent people,” Trump said. “And they’re also American patriots, you know, they love this country. I think they’re going to do a really good job.”

As the media cornerstone of the American conservative movement, the Murdochs' involvement is interpreted by outside observers as right-wing capital further consolidating its influence over global social media assets, which could have profound implications for TikTok's future content ecosystem and public opinion direction.

Additionally, White House spokesperson Karoline Leavitt confirmed that negotiations have explicitly required that majority equity and control of TikTok's U.S. operations be held by Americans, with the newly established independent board comprising seven seats, six of which will be held by Americans.

The core controversy of this transaction also focuses on the ownership of TikTok's core algorithm. Karoline Leavitt explicitly stated that the agreement will ensure "the algorithm remains in American hands," contradicting Beijing's recent claim that the algorithms used by TikTok will still be controlled in China. Meanwhile, user data security and privacy compliance management will be fully entrusted to Oracle Corporation.

For TikTok, which has approximately 170 million U.S. users, control over the algorithm means absolute dominance over content distribution — the very concern driving U.S. authorities' fears that the Chinese government could potentially manipulate information dissemination through technical means.

Last year, Congress passed legislation requiring ByteDance to divest TikTok's U.S. operations or face a nationwide ban. The Trump administration had previously postponed enforcement four times, with the most recent extension occurring last week.

In fact, the parties had come close to reaching a divestiture agreement in April, attracting participation from investment firms including Andreessen Horowitz and Silver Lake Capital, but the deal was suspended due to trade tensions sparked by Trump's tariffs on Chinese goods.