Trump’s TikTok Takeover: Uncle Sam Now Collects $10 Billion Tips
KEY POINTS
- •Donald Trump claimed the US would receive a ‘tremendous fee’ for brokering the TikTok deal in September.
- •New investors like Oracle and Silver Lake are expected to pay $10 billion, with $2.5 billion already paid in January.
- •This deal highlights the Trump administration’s unusual involvement in private businesses, including a 10% Intel stake acquired last August.
In a rerun of the government turning private business into its personal piggy bank, the Trump administration claims a staggering $10 billion ‘fee’ from new TikTok investors like Oracle and Silver Lake, who apparently didn’t get the memo that paying Uncle Sam was optional. A cool $2.5 billion hit the Treasury coffers on January 22nd, the day this blockbuster deal closed—because nothing says ‘good business’ like government-imposed cash grabs. Meanwhile, Trump’s roster of side gigs includes an eyebrow-raising 10% Intel stake bought last August. Spoiler: The White House apparently moonlights as a venture capitalist with mad negotiating skills—or at least mad demands.
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(1 of 3)Only in America can the government negotiate a ’fee’ on TikTok like a used car salesman selling a lemon to teens—and then pocket $2.5 billion upfront.
Trump’s playbook: Why regulate TikTok when you can just charge a ransom and call it a ‘deal’?
New investment tip: If the government’s involved, expect your startup to come with a mandatory $10 billion ‘high five.’
Source: Theverge | Published: 3/14/2026 | Author: Terrence O’Brien
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