The Latest: Trump talks about the future of TikTok
Sep 22, 2025, 4:54 AM
President Donald Trump speaks to reporters aboard Air Force One while en route to Joint Base Andrews, Md. after attending a memorial for conservative activist Charlie Kirk in Glendale, Ariz., Sunday, Sept. 21, 2025. (AP Photo/Julia Demaree Nikhinson)
Credit: ASSOCIATED PRESS
(AP Photo/Julia Demaree Nikhinson)
President Donald Trump says billionaires like Rupert Murdoch and Michael Dell could be part of deal in which the U.S. will take control of TikTok.
Trump discussed the deal on Fox News, highlighting the potential involvement of Murdoch and his son Lachlan. He also mentioned Oracle founder Larry Ellison’s involvement, which was previously disclosed.
The deal aims to keep TikTok operating in the U.S. amid concerns about data security and manipulation by Chinese authorities.
Congress has passed legislation for a TikTok ban, but Trump has signed orders allowing it to operate while negotiations continue. Trump credits the social media site for helping him connect with young voters.
The Latest:
Trump praised Charlie Kirk as a “great American hero” and “martyr” for freedom as he and other prominent conservatives gathered Sunday evening to honor the slain conservative political activist whose work they say they must now advance.
The memorial service for Kirk, whom Trump credits with playing a pivotal role in his 2024 election victory, drew tens of thousands of mourners, including Vice President JD Vance, other senior administration officials and young conservatives shaped by the 31-year-old firebrand.
“He’s a martyr now for America’s freedom,” Trump said in his tribute. “I know I speak for everyone here today when I say that none of us will ever forget Charlie. And neither now will history.”
Kirk was assassinated at a Sept. 10 appearance on a Utah college campus.
Trump’s long-standing pledge to take on those he perceives as his political enemies has prompted debates over free speech, media censorship and political prosecutions.
From late-night comedian Jimmy Kimmel’s ouster to Pentagon restrictions on reporters and an apparent public appeal to Attorney General Pam Bondi to pursue legal cases against his adversaries, Trump has escalated moves to consolidate power in his second administration and root out those who have spoken out against him.
In a post on social media this weekend addressed to Bondi, Trump said “nothing is being done” on investigations into some of his foes.
Ryan Routh texted his three adult children and his fiancée separately to tell them he loved them, according to cell phone records, shortly before authorities say he was spotted by a U.S. Secret Service agent, who identified Routh as the man who tried to assassinate President Donald Trump at his Florida golf course.
Later that same day, Routh called his fiancée from the Palm Beach County jail to tell her about his arrest, but she already knew. “Everybody knows, it’s been hours,” the woman can be heard saying on a recording of the call. “The whole world knows.”
Routh is r epresenting himself in federal court after being charged with trying kill Trump and is set to present his defense Monday.
Prosecutors with the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Southern District of Florida rested their case Friday.
