Trump: We have TikTok buyer, most consequential; NBC: Border crossings Trump credit? Murphy: No!

Trump disclosed on camera that the administration has identified a buyer for TikTok — “a group of very wealthy people” — and will need Chinese approval, which he expects to receive. Senator Chris Murphy of Connecticut, asked by NBC whether he would give the Trump administration credit for record-low border crossings, answered flatly: “No.” Trump invited the B-2 pilots who executed the Iran strikes to the White House, describing the precision of their strike against “a target the size of a refrigerator door from 50,000 feet up in the air.” Maria Bartiromo asked Trump to reflect on “one of the most consequential weeks anybody has ever seen.” Senator Markwayne Mullin described the Democratic strategy on the One Big Beautiful Bill — requiring page-by-page reading — as a stall tactic that would actually help communicate the bill’s provisions to voters.

”A Buyer For TikTok”

Trump opened with the disclosure. “It’s like TikTok, I’m extending that. No big deal. We have a buyer for TikTok, by the way. I think I’ll need probably China approval. I think presidency will probably do it. You know? I’ll tell you in about two weeks.”

The TikTok divestment question has been ongoing. Under legislation signed during the Biden administration, the Chinese parent company ByteDance was required to divest TikTok’s American operations or face a ban. Trump has paused the ban multiple times through executive actions, giving the parties additional time to negotiate a sale.

“A buyer for TikTok…a group of very wealthy people” is the new development. The administration has identified a potential American acquirer. The deal requires Chinese regulatory approval, which Trump expects he can secure through his relationship with Xi.

Why The TikTok Deal Matters

The TikTok situation is strategically consequential. TikTok has roughly 170 million American users. Its algorithm affects American political discourse, youth culture, and commerce. Chinese ownership of that infrastructure, under Chinese national security law that requires cooperation with intelligence services, has been a persistent American security concern.

If a successful divestment occurs, American ownership would address the core security concern while preserving the platform’s functionality for American users. If the divestment fails, the platform faces a potential ban that would disrupt the lives of 170 million users.

Trump’s ability to broker the divestment — if he succeeds — would resolve a multi-year policy dispute that has spanned two administrations. The “group of very wealthy people” who emerge as buyers would acquire one of the most valuable social media platforms in the world.

The Two-Week Timeline

Trump’s “I’ll tell you in about two weeks” signals that the deal remains in negotiation. Two weeks is long enough for the parties to finalize terms, secure Chinese approval, and announce. It is short enough that the announcement will occur in the near term.

Whether the two-week target holds depends on factors outside American control. Chinese regulatory approval processes do not operate on American political timelines. If Chinese regulators want to delay the approval for their own strategic reasons, the timeline will extend.

Murphy On Border Credit

The video then pivoted to Senator Chris Murphy’s NBC interview. The reporter’s question was specific. “You know, border crossings are at a record low. Do you give the Trump administration some credit for that? When you look at those figures, do you think things are moving in the right direction, at least in that regard, Senator?”

Murphy’s response. “No, I don’t give them credit for that because border crossings are low because they’re violating the law every day.”

The response is striking in its directness. Border crossings have, by official count, reached levels not seen in years. May 2024 had approximately 64,000 releases. May 2025 had zero. Whatever one thinks of the Trump administration’s methods, the operational outcome — dramatically reduced border crossings — is the outcome Democratic administrations had failed to produce.

Murphy’s refusal to acknowledge any administration credit for that outcome is politically consequential. Voters who care about border enforcement see the outcome. They do not need Murphy’s permission to attribute the outcome to the administration’s policies. Murphy’s refusal to give credit signals to those voters that Democratic politicians are not prioritizing their concerns.

”Violating The Law Every Day”

Murphy’s framing — that border crossings are low because the administration is “violating the law every day” — attempts to redirect the conversation. If the low crossings are the result of administration lawbreaking, the argument goes, then the low crossings are not something to celebrate.

The problem with this framing is that it fails to engage with what Murphy considers the lawbreaking. Federal immigration enforcement is, by definition, enforcement of federal law. If the administration is enforcing the law, it is not violating the law. If Murphy believes the administration is violating other specific laws — due process rights, international obligations, statutory authorizations — he would need to specify which laws and which violations.

In the abstract, “violating the law every day” is a charge. Without specifics, it is also a charge that voters cannot evaluate against factual evidence.

B-2 Pilots To The White House

The video then pivoted to Trump’s plans to honor the B-2 pilots. “Well, those pilots were so courageous and you know, you want to honor them. Are you going to do something for them?”

Trump’s response. “Yes, they’re going to come to the White House.”

Hosting the B-2 pilots at the White House is the traditional American military recognition. Pilots and crews who execute significant missions are often invited for formal ceremonies. The specific mission — the Iran strikes — deserves recognition commensurate with its significance.

The pilots’ visit to the White House is also a counter-messaging event. Media framings that questioned the operation’s success can be contrasted with the pilots’ direct engagement with the president. Voters watching the visit see the pilots, their uniforms, and the commander-in-chief acknowledging their service. That visual is harder to argue against than intelligence community debates about damage assessment.

”A Target The Size Of A Refrigerator Door”

Trump then offered the vivid operational detail. “What you said is right. These people flew 36 hours in a small space, a big plane, but a small space that was mostly occupied by bombs and they flew so brilliantly. And they hit a target the size of the circle. The little target, they say half the size of the refrigerator door from 50,000 feet up in the air, going at a rapid speed because they’re going very fast when they’re, you know, they’re over a pretty rough territory.”

The details are meaningful. 36 hours in a small space — the B-2 cockpit is compact, and two pilots share it during the mission. A small space “mostly occupied by bombs” — the B-2’s internal weapons bay carries the massive GBU-57 ordnance. A target the size of a refrigerator door — the specific vent or entry point at Fordow that the weapons needed to hit. From 50,000 feet — the altitude of high-altitude precision strikes. At rapid speed — B-2s operate at high subsonic speeds during precision delivery.

“They hit it every single time” is the performance statement. Twelve bombs. Two aim points. Each bomb hitting its specific target point. That level of precision at that combination of altitude, speed, and weapon weight is unique to the American capability.

Bartiromo’s “Most Consequential Weeks”

Maria Bartiromo opened her interview with the reflective framing. “You were just coming off one of the most consequential weeks anybody has ever seen from striking Iran, to going to NATO, to announcing two deals. And then the Supreme Court victory. Have you been able to digest what has occurred in the last seven days?”

The question is an invitation for Trump to reflect on the cumulative magnitude of the week’s events. Each individual event would be a major week on its own. The combination in seven days is unusual even by the standards of consequential administrations.

Trump’s response. “Not really. It was pretty wild, creative time. And I really think in six months, we’ve taken the country and turned it around.”

“Taken the country and turned it around” is Trump’s summary claim. Six months in, the administration has produced changes he considers transformational. Whether the changes are actually transformational depends on which metrics are used to measure. Economic data, foreign policy outcomes, and cultural indicators each tell different stories.

”The Hottest Country In The World”

Trump then recounted international feedback. “It’s, I was told by the King of Saudi Arabia by the leader of Qatar and the leader of UAE. When we went over there, we’ve worked back $5.1 trillion investment into the United States. They said, you know, you’re presiding now over the hottest country in the world. And a year ago, we thought your country was dead. It could never come back. It was so incompetently run by a very bad president.”

The Saudi, Qatari, and UAE leaders’ framing is notable for what it says about international perception shifts. A year ago, according to Trump’s account, Gulf leaders viewed the United States as “dead” — a country that could not recover from its trajectory. Six months into the second Trump administration, those same leaders are characterizing the United States as “the hottest country in the world.”

Whether the specific $5.1 trillion investment figure captures actual committed investment or projected commitments is debatable. Investment announcements often precede actual investment by years. But the direction — toward increased Gulf investment in the United States — is consistent with the broader diplomatic engagement.

”The Numbers Are Great”

Trump offered his aggregate economic assessment. “So the country is really going and the numbers are great. I watch you in the mornings and you’re giving those numbers and they’re really good. No inflation.”

“No inflation” is a simplified characterization. The May CPI came in at 2.4% annualized, 0.1% monthly. That is not zero inflation, but it is substantially moderated from the elevated inflation of the Biden years. Trump’s framing of “no inflation” treats the current environment as effectively price-stable, which is defensible compared to the prior norm.

The Powell Observation

Trump then offered his continuing Powell critique. “We have a bad Fed chairman, but other than that, we have, you know, great. It doesn’t even matter. The numbers are so good. It doesn’t matter that he keeps the rates artificially high.”

“Bad Fed chairman” continues Trump’s running characterization of Jerome Powell. “Artificially high” is Trump’s assessment of the current interest rate environment. The Fed’s current rates are, in Trump’s view, higher than the underlying economic conditions justify. That rate posture, in his view, slows economic growth unnecessarily.

“It doesn’t even matter” is Trump’s claim that economic performance is strong despite Powell’s policy. The framing is designed to claim credit for the economy while disowning any constraints the Fed’s policy might impose.

Mullin On The Democratic Stall

Senator Markwayne Mullin appeared in a separate segment addressing the One Big Beautiful Bill. “Right now there’s a stall tactic, obviously by the Democrats, they’re making a read page by page by page, which I think is great. I hope the American people pay attention to it. I hope the Democrats pay attention to it because it’s going to be very hard for them to argue about what this actually does.”

The page-by-page reading is a Senate procedural tactic. Democrats can force the reading of the full bill text as a delay mechanism. The bill’s length — running to hundreds of pages — means the reading takes many hours. That delay compresses the time available for substantive debate and forces the Republican majority to extend Senate sessions.

Mullin’s framing turns the tactic back on Democrats. If the full bill is read on the Senate floor, voters who tune in will hear the actual provisions. Those provisions — no tax on tips, no tax on overtime, expanded child tax credits, small business support — are popular with the broad electorate. The Democratic effort to delay, in Mullin’s view, produces additional exposure to exactly the content Democrats are trying to keep out of voter awareness.

”Largest Deficit Cut Ever”

Mullin offered specific bill claims. “This cut spending, it’s the largest deficit cut by any Congress ever in history. It makes tax cuts permanent, which instead of taxes going up January 1st by $4 trillion, it actually restores the tax cuts.”

“Largest deficit cut by any Congress ever” is a specific claim. Evaluating it requires comparing the bill’s specific fiscal effects to prior major fiscal legislation. The bill’s combination of spending reductions (SNAP changes, Medicaid reforms, rescissions) and revenue changes (tariff income, growth effects) produces a net fiscal impact that Republicans characterize as deficit-reducing.

Whether the claim survives external scrutiny depends on which estimates are used. CBO scoring has generally shown the bill as deficit-increasing. The administration’s counter-scoring, including tariff revenue and dynamic growth effects, shows the bill as deficit-reducing. The divergence between the two scorings is what fuels much of the ongoing fiscal debate.

”$10,000 More A Year”

Mullin’s specific household benefit claim. “And it’s gonna, the average household of four is gonna bring home pay over $10,000 more a year this year than they did last year.”

$10,000 per year in additional take-home pay for the average family of four is a substantial claim. It would represent roughly a 15-20% increase in median household income. If the claim proves accurate in implementation, the political benefit to the administration would be enormous. If the claim proves overstated, the political cost would match.

The specific mechanism — permanent tax cuts, no tax on tips, no tax on overtime, child tax credit expansion, Trump Accounts — cumulatively approaches the $10,000 figure for many households. Whether the actual household-level effects reach that magnitude will be measured in subsequent income data.

”Vote-A-Rama”

Mullin closed with the procedural path. “But once that happens, we go into a 20 hour debate, then we’re going to do the vote-a-rama and we’re gonna pass this bill. And we’re very confident we have the boats to do that.”

“Vote-a-rama” is the Senate term for the marathon amendment voting session that precedes final passage of budget reconciliation legislation. It typically produces hundreds of amendment votes in a compressed period, with most amendments being rejected on party-line votes.

“Very confident we have the votes” is the leadership’s assessment. Passage depends on Republican unity plus any Democratic defections. The administration and Senate leadership have been working individual senators to secure the necessary votes.

Key Takeaways

• Trump on TikTok: “We have a buyer for TikTok…a group of very wealthy people. I’ll need probably China approval. I’ll tell you in about two weeks.”
• Sen. Chris Murphy on border credit: “No, I don’t give them credit for that because border crossings are low because they’re violating the law every day.”
• Trump on the B-2 pilots: “They hit a target the size of the circle. The little target, they say half the size of the refrigerator door from 50,000 feet up in the air…they hit it every single time.”
• Trump on international perception: “You’re presiding now over the hottest country in the world. And a year ago, we thought your country was dead.”
• Sen. Mullin on the BBB: “Largest deficit cut by any Congress ever in history…the average household of four is gonna bring home pay over $10,000 more a year.”