Trump Signs Executive Order Approving US Takeover of TikTok with Oracle, Dell, and Murdoch Backing

President Donald Trump on Thursday signed an executive order confirming that a planned deal for a US version of TikTok meets the requirements of a law threatening to ban the social media app in the country.

Speaking at the White House, Trump said the restructured TikTok would be managed by “highly sophisticated” American investors, including Oracle founder Larry Ellison, tech entrepreneur Michael Dell, and media mogul Rupert Murdoch.

Other firms reportedly involved in the deal include Silver Lake Partners and venture capital giant Andreessen Horowitz.

Although the investors named are seen as Trump allies, the president stressed the platform would remain politically neutral.
“If I could make it 100 percent MAGA I would, but it’s not going to work out that way unfortunately. No… every group, every philosophy, every policy, will be treated very fairly,” Trump stated.

Under the deal, the US entity will adopt a domestic version of TikTok’s prized algorithm—often described as the app’s “secret sauce”—which will be closely monitored to ensure it is free from foreign influence, according to a White House official.

The move follows legislation signed by Trump’s predecessor, Joe Biden, compelling ByteDance, TikTok’s Chinese parent company, to sell its US operations or face a nationwide ban. Washington has long expressed concerns that China could exploit the app to collect data on Americans or influence users through its advanced algorithm.

Vice President JD Vance, who spearheaded the negotiations, estimated the new US entity would be valued at about $14 billion, though he noted the final valuation would depend on the investors.

When asked about Beijing’s position, Trump confirmed that Chinese President Xi Jinping had approved the deal in a recent phone call.
“I have great respect for President Xi, and I very much appreciate that he approved the deal, because to get it done properly, we really needed the support of China,” Trump said.

Chinese authorities have so far refrained from making detailed public comments. However, following the Trump-Xi conversation, state broadcaster CCTV reported that Xi expressed support for “market-based negotiations” aligned with Chinese law.

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