US President Donald Trump said Wednesday that he wants to ensure CNN is included in the Warner Bros Discovery sale, signaling continued scrutiny of the news network he has long criticized.
Warner Bros Discovery has become the focus of a bidding battle between Paramount, led by CEO David Ellison, son of Trump ally Larry Ellison and streaming giant Netflix.
Under Paramount’s proposal, CNN would come under the Ellisons’ ownership. In the Netflix deal, Warner Bros Discovery would sell CNN and other cable news properties separately before completing the sale of its studio and streaming operations to Netflix.
“I think any deal should, it should be guaranteed and certain that CNN is part of it or sold separately,” Trump told business leaders Wednesday at the White House.
“I don’t think the people that are running that company right now and running CNN, which is a very dishonest group of people, I don’t think that should be allowed to continue. I think CNN should be sold along with everything else,” he added.
In an unusual move, Trump indicated he would be personally involved in the government’s review of the sale, rather than leaving the approval solely to the Department of Justice, which traditionally oversees such mergers.
US media reports suggest both Paramount and Netflix have lobbied the White House and Trump directly to support their bids. Trump described both companies as “good companies” but signaled a clear preference for CNN ending up in friendly hands, which appears to favor Paramount. The Netflix proposal would also involve selling CNN, though the buyer has not been disclosed.
Trump has maintained a long-running adversarial relationship with CNN and other mainstream media outlets, frequently labeling them “fake news” and criticizing their coverage on social media.
Paramount, under David Ellison, has made notable moves since his takeover earlier this year, including appointing journalist Bari Weiss as editor-in-chief of CBS News. Weiss, a vocal critic of perceived bias in mainstream media, has received praise from conservatives who accuse traditional outlets of liberal bias.
Earlier this year, CBS cancelled The Late Show with Stephen Colbert, a late-night program known for its critical coverage of Trump, days before Ellison assumed leadership.
However, Trump also criticized Paramount on Monday via Truth Social, claiming the company “is no better than the old ownership” for airing an interview with former ally-turned-critic Marjorie Taylor Greene.
Netflix, by contrast, is associated with the Democratic Party, with founder Reed Hastings known as a major Democratic donor.
AFP
