Mar 18, 2026 2:08pm PT

Senator Raises Questions About Reported $10 Billion Payment to Trump Administration for TikTok U.S. Deal, Including Whether President Requested Any Compensation for Himself

Todd Spangler

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Todd Spangler

NY Digital Editor

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Investors including Oracle and Silver Lake that acquired stakes in the new TikTok U.S. joint venture are reportedly paying a $10 billion fee to the Trump administration as part of the deal — and now a senior Democratic senator is looking for answers about the arrangement.

In January, under a deal brokered by the Trump administration, ByteDance sold a majority stake in TikTok’s U.S. business to non-Chinese investors, including Oracle, Silver Lake and Abu Dhabi’s state-owned investment firm MGX. Beijing-based ByteDance retains 19.9% of the joint venture; the deal brought ByteDance and TikTok into compliance with the U.S.’s TikTok divest-or-ban law that went into effect in January 2025.