Rupert and Lachlan Murdoch to be part of US group buying TikTok, Trump says
Rupert Murdoch and his son Lachlan will likely be part of a group of investors buying TikTok, Donald Trump has said.
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President Trump shared details on the group of investors purchasing the US-arm of the video-sharing app during an interview on Sunday.
It comes as TikTok faces being banned in the United States unless its Chinese owner sells the rights to the app to an American owner.
“I hate to tell you this – a man named Lachlan is involved. You know who Lachlan is? That’s a very unusual name, Lachlan Murdoch,” Trump told Fox News.
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“Rupert is probably gonna be in the group, I think they’re gonna be in the group, a couple of others. Really great people. Very prominent people. And they’re also American patriots, they love this country, so I think they’re gonna do a really good job.”
Trump’s praise of the Murdochs comes after he sued the Wall Street Journal, which is owned by Rupert, over the publication of a letter he allegedly sent to infamous paedophile Jeffrey Epstein.
White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt confirmed on Saturday that six Americans will sit on TikTok’s new seven-seat board.
“This deal does put America first,” Leavitt said.
“And let me just be very clear. This deal means that TikTok will be majority-owned by Americans in the United States.”