The software company Oracle is accelerating talks with the White House on a deal to run TikTok, though significant concerns remain about what role the app’s Chinese founders will play in its ongoing U.S. operation, according to three people familiar with the discussions.
Vice President JD Vance and national security adviser Mike Waltz, the two officials President Donald Trump has tasked with shepherding a deal to bring TikTok under U.S. ownership, are taking the lead in negotiations, while senators have voiced a desire to be read in on any talks, two of the people said. A third person described the White House discussions as in advanced stages.
The people who were granted anonymity were not authorized to discuss sensitive details of ongoing negotiations publicly.
It comes amid ongoing warnings from congressional Republicans and other China hawks that any new ownership deal — if it keeps TikTok’s underlying technology in Chinese hands — could be only a surface-level fix to the security concerns that led to last year’s sweeping bipartisan ban of the app. Key lawmakers, including concerned Republicans, are bringing in Oracle this week to discuss the possible deal and rising national security concerns, according to four people familiar with the meetings.
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