Trump Says CNN Should Be Sold in Warner Bros. Merger Deal

President Donald Trump, on Dec. 10, said that CNN, a television news broadcaster with which he has frequently clashed, should be sold as part of ongoing negotiations to acquire its parent company, Warner Bros. Discovery.

The comments by Trump were made during an event at the White House, where he was hosting business leaders for a roundtable discussion in the Roosevelt Room, where he announced plans for his “Trump Gold Card” business immigration plan.

“I think the people that have run CNN for the last long period of time are a disgrace. I think it’s imperative that CNN be sold. … I wouldn’t want to see the same company end up with CNN,” Trump said.

On Dec. 5, Netflix announced that it had reached a deal to acquire Warner Bros. Discovery for $82.7 billion, though the deal does not include television networks such as CNN.

On Dec. 8, despite the deal being reached, Paramount Skydance announced a hostile counteroffer of $108.4 billion to acquire the whole company, including its television networks, which would give Warner Bros. Discovery shareholders a higher premium on their stock, of $30 per share versus $27.75 per share from Netflix. That offer has since ignited a new bidding war and corporate controversy that is now dominating American business news.

Given the size of both companies, the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) and the Antitrust Division of the U.S. Department of Justice are expected to review and either approve or challenge the deal. Trump, as president, oversees both agencies, though the FTC is nominally independent.

At the roundtable, Trump said that he “will be probably involved, maybe involved in the decision.”

“I can be talked out of that by some very talented people that we have, antitrust people,” he added.

In July, the Trump administration approved the $8 billion merger of Paramount Global, the parent company of CBS News, and Skydance Media.

Critics of the merger, including CBS “Late Show” host Stephen Colbert, accused Paramount of approving a $36 million settlement earlier that month with Trump—who sued CBS in 2024 over edits made to a “60 Minutes” interview featuring then-Vice President and Democratic presidential candidate Kamala Harris—to ensure approval of the merger.

The Wall Street Journal, on Dec. 8, reported that Paramount Skydance CEO David Ellison had promised Trump to make “sweeping changes” at CNN if Warner Bros. Discovery was acquired by his company. David Ellison is the son of Larry Ellison, the founder and executive chairman of Oracle who is the second-richest man in the world with a net worth of $276.4 billion.