Donald Trump Indicates Disapproval of Netflix’s Warner Bros. Acquisition
Donald Trump weighed in on the upcoming sale of Warner Bros. to Netflix with a message of disapproval as he reposted a One America News Network article titled “Stop the Netflix Cultural Takeover” on Truth Social.
The article, which was published nearly a month ago on Dec. 12, despite the president circulating it on Sunday, condemns the acquisition as “an attempt to consolidate unprecedented cultural power inside one of America’s most ideologically aggressive corporations — a company that has repeatedly used its global platform to elevate progressive narratives while suppressing dissenting viewpoints.”
Warning that Netflix could become the “dominant cultural gatekeeper to the United States” should the deal go through, the story notes that Paramount, which issued a hostile takeover bid despite Warner Bros. Discovery’s initial rejection of their offer, offered “a bid that implies significantly higher value for shareholders” than Netflix.
The article’s comments echo the jabs at Netflix thrown by Paramount since Warner Bros. selected Netflix’s offer of $27.75 a share for the studio and streaming assets, a mix of cash and stock worth $82.7 billion in early December. Most recently, Paramount chief legal officer Makan Delrahim called the Netflix-WB deal “presumptively unlawful” and “clearly anticompetitive.”
While Warner Bros. Discovery rejected Paramount’s amended $30 per share, all cash offer, Trump’s opinion on the deal could impact the regulatory process necessary for Netflix to complete the $82.7 billion acquisition of Warner Bros. Discovery.
Trump and his administration’s FCC supported the $8 billion Paramount-Skydance merger, and the president has been known to be friendly with Paramount CEO David Ellison as well as his Oracle co-founder Larry Ellison.
The Paramount-Skydance merger closed in early August despite concerns raised by a number of critics and was inevitably pushed along by Paramount’s $16 million settlement with Donald Trump in his lawsuit against “60 Minutes.”
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