David Ellison to Attend Trump’s State of the Union Amid ‘Superior Proposal’ Paramount-WBD Talks
Paramount Skydance CEO David Ellison will attend President Donald Trump’s State of the Union address as a guest of Lindsey Graham, the senator from South Carolina shared Tuesday afternoon.
The Republican senator shared a photo of himself with Ellison on social media ahead of the address, due to start at 9 p.m. local time. The Paramount Skydance CEO’s attendance comes amid swaying acquisition talks for Warner Bros. Discovery, which after a revised offer of $31 per share, the WBD board determined Tuesday could “reasonably be expected” to lead to a “superior proposal” over Netflix.
“Honored to have David Ellison as my guest to @POTUS’ State of the Union address this evening,” Graham captioned the photo. The two are both giving a thumbs up (see below).
This new bid — the 10th from Ellison — is valued at $31 per share in cash, plus a daily ticking fee equal to 25 cents per quarter beginning after Sept. 30, 2026. If regulatory matters prevents the transaction from closing, Paramount will pay a $7 billion termination fee to WBD. Paramount will also cover a $2.8 billion termination fee that WBD would be required to pay to Netflix after accepting their current bid and negotiations.
Ellison’s attendance at the State of the Union address is the latest example of the Paramount Skydance CEO’s proximity to the president. On Feb. 19, a group of eight Senate Democrats, including Cory Booker, Chuck Schumer and Elizabeth Warren, demanded that Ellison explain the Trump White House’s role in Paramount Skydance’s hostile takeover bid of Warner Bros. Discovery following a “pattern of evasion, combined with Paramount’s apparent confidence that a
politically sensitive transaction will clear without difficulty.”
But Netflix co-CEO Ted Sarandos recently downplayed the potential role of the Trump administration in these merger discussions. On Monday, Sarandos brushed off a Truth Social post where Trump called for Netflix to remove board member Susan Rice or “pay the consequences.”
“This is a business deal. It’s not a political deal,” Sarandos said. “This deal is run by the Department of Justice in the U.S. and regulators throughout Europe and around the world.”
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