Trump cites Murdoch family, Ellison and Dell in TikTok US deal

President Donald Trump said Sunday that Lachlan Murdoch and his father Rupert Murdoch, along with tech billionaires Larry Ellison and Michael Dell, are part of a U.S. investor group poised to take control of TikTok’s American operations, comments that came as the White House outlined a separate list of principal buyers and U.S. officials work to finalize the transaction by a mid-December deadline. Trump made the remarks in an interview aired on Fox News, saying the investors are "American patriots" who will run TikTok U.S., but administration announcements and unnamed sources offer differing accounts of who will be involved.

The White House announced Saturday that the U.S. entity would be majority-owned and controlled by American investors including Oracle, venture firm Andreessen Horowitz and private equity firm Silver Lake. The administration said Oracle would act as TikTok’s security provider and that Americans would hold six of seven seats on the planned board. A person familiar with the negotiations said Fox Corp. is expected to be involved on the corporate level, rather than the Murdochs personally.

Trump’s on-air comments named Lachlan Murdoch, Rupert Murdoch, Oracle...