Trump denies talks with Oracle about a TikTok deal but says a decision will likely be made within 30 days

Last updated: January 26, 2025 5:53 pm

By MT HANNACH

3 Min Read

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Following a report from NPR That said, the Trump administration is working on a deal with Oracle and other investors to take over TikTok in the United States, Trump has denied any discussions with Oracle but says he has “talked to many people about TikTok” and that he could make a decision in the next month, depending Reuters. Trump signed an executive order shortly after taking office Monday that delays enforcement of TikTok ban by 75 daysgiving the app’s parent company, ByteDance, more time to find a deal that would allow it to continue operations in the United States.

NPR, citing sources “with direct knowledge of the negotiations,” initially reported that Oracle met with White House officials on Friday to discuss a deal in which Oracle and other U.S. investors would end up with a majority stake in TikTok and would oversee things like data collection. Microsoft also participated in the negotiations, according to NPR. “The goal is for Oracle to effectively monitor and supervise what’s happening with TikTok,” an anonymous source said. NPR. “ByteDance wouldn’t completely disappear, but it would minimize Chinese ownership.”

Asked by reporters about a potential deal with Oracle during an Air Force One flight Saturday evening, Trump said, according to Reuters“No, not with Oracle. I have many people talking to me, very important people, about buying it and I will make that decision probably within the next 30 days.

Before the ban took effect on January 19, ByteDance had opposed the idea of selling TikTok to appease US lawmakers. But he changed his mind on Sunday after Trump intervened to temporarily bring the app back online, posting a statement on TikTok. X account saying the company “will work with President Trump on a long-term solution that will keep TikTok in the United States.”

This came hours after Trump wrote in a Truth Social article during TikTok’s short-term outage that he “would like the United States to have a 50% stake in a joint venture.” Yet his exact plan remains unclear. According to one of the sources who spoke with NPR“No one seems to know what he means with the 50 percent equity comments.”