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The White House put Tucker Carlson on the list of potential investors in Tiktok as it raced earlier this year to find buyers for the app, according to people familiar with the issue.
JD Vance, who President Donald Trump chose to oversee Tiktok’s contract, defended Carlson, two people said. Other potential investors on the list include venture capital firms Andreessen Horowitz and Private Equity Giant Blackstone.
This argument came as it came when he called for a contract for China’s owner Tiktok ahead of the April 5th bytedance deadline.
The ban was legislated by the US Congress last year. Trump said the deadline could be extended twice, first from January to April and then April to June 19, and again be delayed.
Carlson’s White House’s proposed role in the contract to buy the app was not clear. But being included on the list of right-wing media stars suggests that the Trump administration is eager to preserve US Tiktok.
Carlson told the Financial Times last month that he was unaware that he was on the list of potential Tiktok investors in the White House.
“I don’t know anything about it,” Carlson told Fort. “As far as I know, I have read that the Tiktok trade is pending due to trade wars and due to tariffs.”
“I can say this,” he added. “I was totally opposed and completely opposed to the US Congress banning social media apps.
A spokesman for the vice president declined to comment. Carlson did not respond to further requests for comment, but Neil Patel, chief executive of the Tucker Carlson Network, said there was “nothing to add.” Tiktok did not respond to requests for comment.
Ahead of the April deadline, the White House was spin-off from Tiktoc, founded a US company, received new investments, and was trapped in a transaction that diluted the interests of Chinese investors.
Under the terms of that contract, investors, including Andreesen Horowitz and Blackstone, owned about half of Tiktok’s US operations, while large existing investors, including Atlantic General, Susquehanna and KKR, held about 30% of the new entities.
However, Beijing did not give that blessing to the deal after Trump launched a new trade war with China. The proposal remained on the ice, according to people familiar with the issue.
In May, Trump told NBC that he had a “a little warmer place in Tiktok’s heart” that had reached younger voters in the 2024 election.
