Trump Says He’d Turn TikTok Algorithm ‘100% MAGA’ if Possible

President signs executive order allowing American investors to gain majority control of the popular Chinese app

President Donald Trump signed an executive order on Thursday, Sept. 25, clearing the path for American investors to take a majority stake in TikTok.

Under the agreement, ByteDance, TikTok’s Chinese parent company, will retain less than 20% ownership, while the remaining shares will go to “certain investors.” According to the order, this “qualified divestiture” ensures millions of Americans can continue using TikTok while protecting national security.

“This is going to be American-operated all the way,” Trump said during the signing ceremony. “I have great respect for [Chinese] President Xi, and I very much appreciate that he approved the deal, because to get it done properly, we really needed the support of China and the approval of China.”

While the exact investors have not been officially announced, Trump suggested that Oracle founder Larry Ellison, tech entrepreneur Michael Dell, and conservative media mogul Rupert Murdoch could be involved.

When a reporter asked in the Oval Office whether the involvement of friends like Ellison and Murdoch might lead to more “MAGA-related” content on TikTok, Trump responded with a chuckle:

“I always like MAGA-related. If I could, I’d make it 100% MAGA,” he said. However, he added, “it’s not gonna work out that way, unfortunately. Everyone’s gonna be treated fairly. Every group, every philosophy, every policy will be treated very fairly.”

Some Democratic politicians expressed concern over the deal. In a statement to PEOPLE, Massachusetts Sen. Elizabeth Warren said, “Donald Trump wants to hand over even more control of what you watch to his billionaire buddies, and a foreign government is helping him do it.”

Warren highlighted Abu Dhabi-based investment firm MGX — another rumored investor in TikTok’s restructuring — noting that the company is owned by the United Arab Emirates government. She accused the group of making deals “to get sensitive American technology while enriching the Trump family’s crypto firm.”

Trump had also hinted at the TikTok deal during his recent state visit to the U.K., claiming the app “helped get me elected.”

“As you know, we did unbelievably well with youth, like, at a level that no Republican has ever even dreamt of. And, you know, look, I think we won it for a lot of reasons, but that was a reason we won the election by such a big number,” he said.

“TikTok has tremendous value,” Trump continued. “The United States has that value in its hand because we’re the ones that have to approve it…The people that are investing in it are among the greatest investors in the world, the biggest, the richest, and they’ll do a great job.”