Trump Says He 'Saved' TikTok; Sale Faces Hurdles

President Trump returned to TikTok on Oct. 6 with an Oval Office video saying 'I saved TikTok, so you owe me big,' and Vice President J.D. Vance also relaunched his account. The appearance follows an executive order approving a U.S.-led sale and restructuring of TikTok's American operations that the White House values at roughly $14 billion. Reports say a consortium expected to include Larry Ellison, Michael Dell and Rupert Murdoch would give U.S. investors dominant governance (about an 80/20 split), with Oracle (Ellison) overseeing data-security and algorithm monitoring while ByteDance would retain a smaller stake. The proposed sale has not been finalized or publicly confirmed by ByteDance and faces procedural hurdles, including antitrust review and other approvals, with closing possibly in early 2026. The move marks a reversal from Trump's 2020 effort to ban the app and reflects TikTok's political and cultural power in the U.S., where roughly 170 million Americans use the platform. The administration has framed the restructuring as a favor to Gen Z, while the deal's outcome will determine whether TikTok remains a dominant U.S. social platform.