Mon Sep 22 19:30:20 UTC 2025: ## Trump Administration Greenlights TikTok Deal with Oracle as Investor, Raising Concerns About Political Influence
**Washington D.C.** – The White House is expected to approve a deal this week that will allow TikTok to continue operating in the United States after divestiture from its Chinese parent company, ByteDance. Oracle, co-founded by Trump ally Larry Ellison, is slated to be a key investor in the US operations, a move that is already drawing scrutiny and concerns about potential political influence over the popular short-video platform.
The agreement, which aims to comply with a 2024 law requiring ByteDance to sell its US assets, will see US citizens hold six out of seven board seats. ByteDance will retain less than 20% ownership, with the remaining stake distributed among existing US and global firms, as well as new investors. Silver Lake and Andreessen Horowitz are also named as investors.
The Trump administration has pushed for this deal, delaying an initial deadline to ban the app, which boasts approximately 170 million US users. White House officials say the deal is valued in the “many billions of dollars” and will generate up to $178 billion in economic activity over the next four years.
While the White House assures that the deal safeguards national and economic security, critics are raising alarms about the potential for political manipulation. “It would be naive to think they won’t censor Trump’s critics while boosting content that pleases him,” said Seth Stern of the Freedom of the Press Foundation. The White House vehemently denies these accusations, calling them “utterly delusional conspiracy theories.”
US user data will be hosted on Oracle’s cloud infrastructure, and the app’s algorithm will be managed in the United States, outside of ByteDance’s control. According to sources who requested anonymity, Oracle will receive a copy of the algorithm to “prevent potential manipulation of addictive content.”
News of the deal has been positively received by Oracle investors, with the company’s stock price rising over 5% on Monday.
The TikTok deal comes amid broader trade talks between the US and China, and some analysts suggest that China may be seeking reciprocal concessions, such as tariff reductions and easing investment restrictions.
The agreement has revived the debate about media ownership and its impact on free speech. The recent suspension of comedian Jimmy Kimmel by ABC over remarks about the Trump administration further fuels the discussion. The suspension occurred after a backlash from Nexstar Media Group, which operates many local TV stations, including ABC affiliates, and currently has a merger under review by the Department of Justice and the Federal Communications Commission. Nexstar said its stations would stop carrying the show Jimmy Kimmel Live!
The situation surrounding TikTok and its future in the US remains fluid, and the coming weeks will be crucial in determining the final outcome and its potential implications for both the tech industry and the political landscape.
First Piper 