Sat Sep 27 08:30:00 UTC 2025: ## Trump’s Business Agenda: “Extortion” or “Finders’ Fee”?
**Washington D.C.** – President Trump’s administration is facing criticism for a perceived pattern of pressuring private businesses for financial concessions, raising concerns about the erosion of free market principles. In a recent example, the administration reportedly asked a U.S. investor group poised to acquire TikTok’s U.S. operations to pay a “finders’ fee” in the low billions to the federal government. The group, which includes tech mogul Larry Ellison, the Murdochs, and Andreessen Horowitz, reportedly agreed without hesitation.
This move is part of a broader trend, with the Trump administration allegedly seeking a cut of Nvidia and AMD’s chip sales to China, a golden share in U.S. Steel, and an equity stake in Lithium Americas as part of a government loan. Critics like University of Chicago finance professor Luigi Zingales are calling the actions a “tax imposed on every major business transaction,” warning that businesses will prioritize ingratiating themselves with the administration over innovation.
When questioned about the TikTok fee, Trump remained evasive, stating, “We’re going to be announcing different things, but the U.S. comes out great.”
Other instances include Intel selling a 10% stake to the U.S. government, and payments from the parent companies of ABC and CBS to settle lawsuits filed by Trump. The Washington Post and The Los Angeles Times also reportedly toned down their criticism of Trump ahead of the election, raising concerns about media companies acquiescing to political pressure.
The selection of Rupert and Lachlan Murdoch, owners of Fox News and The Wall Street Journal, to lead the takeover of TikTok’s U.S. operations has also drawn scrutiny, with some viewing it as a reward for favorable coverage.
Experts like Richard Tofel, former assistant publisher of The Wall Street Journal, view the situation as “crony capitalism,” while Yale School of Management professor Jeffrey Sonnenfeld described the actions as “shakedown schemes” and “extortion.” Sonnenfeld noted that while corporate executives are privately horrified, they fear retaliation and have not publicly pushed back against the administration’s actions.
Despite the criticism, the TikTok deal appears to be moving forward, with Oracle expected to host and oversee U.S. user data and ByteDance retaining a minority stake. The “unexpected” multibillion-dollar fee, while initially surprising, is viewed by investors as “just the price of doing business right now.”
First Piper 