Trump Bid to Seize Control of TikTok Sparks Creator Backlash

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Influencers warn of censorship, income loss, and a right-wing echo chamber reshaping America’s top news app.

By TRH Global Affairs Desk

NEW DELHI, October 1, 2025 — US President Donald Trump is on the verge of finalizing a deal that could reshape the digital landscape and send shockwaves through the $250 billion creator economy. According to reporting by Deadline’s Taylor Lorenz, Trump is pushing through a multi-billion-dollar acquisition of TikTok’s US operations that would hand majority ownership to a group of MAGA-aligned billionaires and investors.

Under the proposed deal, Oracle’s Larry Ellison, Michael Dell, venture capital firm Andreessen Horowitz, private equity giant Silver Lake, and Rupert and Lachlan Murdoch’s Fox Corp would take control of TikTok in the US ByteDance, TikTok’s Beijing-based parent company, would retain only a 20% stake, while leasing its algorithm for US use.

Oracle would manage data operations. Crucially, Trump’s allies would gain authority over content moderation and algorithmic decisions—the very engine of TikTok’s influence.

For creators, the implications are dire. Since launching in the US in 2018, TikTok has become central to the creator economy, generating $24.2 billion for US GDP in 2023 and supporting more than 224,000 jobs, according to Oxford Economics.

Lorenz claimed that influencers worry that Trump’s takeover will turn TikTok into what one described as “Truth Social 2.0,” undermining discoverability and income streams.

V Spehar, a TikToker with 3.7 million followers, was quoted by Lorenz, saying: “If Trump tries to make TikTok another right-wing echo chamber, I’ll quit. I’d rather focus on YouTube, Meta, or Substack. There’s no chance I’ll participate in a biased platform.” Others fear losing international reach as the US version of TikTok becomes siloed from the global app, threatening creators’ ability to maintain worldwide audiences.

Concerns extend beyond creators’ livelihoods. Pew Research shows TikTok is the primary news source for 44% of Americans under 30—a crucial voting bloc. Lorenz wrote that Trump-aligned investors could retool the algorithm to suppress dissent and amplify pro-MAGA content, a move that would reshape political discourse for millions.

Jonathan Katz, a journalist and TikTok creator, warned of a creeping transformation. “It won’t happen all at once,” he told Lorenz. “But over time, the app will fill with slop, hate, and far-right trolls while engagement drops for non-right-wing creators. It’ll become another hostile space,” Katz was quoted saying by Deadline.

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