Film Trump: I will stay out of the review of the Warner deal
US President Donald Trump wants to stay out of the review of the rival bids for the Hollywood group Warner Brothers. He has decided that he should not be involved, Trump said in an interview on TV channel NBC.
05.02.2026, 05:00
SDA
"The Department of Justice will take care of it," Trump said. Netflix wants to take over the studio and streaming business of Warner Brothers for almost 83 billion dollars. The TV channels such as CNN are to be spun off into an independent company.
Meanwhile, rival Paramount is offering 108.4 billion dollars for the entire current Warner Bros. Discovery group, including the TV channels. Warner management decided in favor of the Netflix bid. Paramount then turned directly to its shareholders. The outcome of the bidding war is still open.
Trump interested in the future of CNN
In recent weeks, Trump has made several public statements about the bidding battle. He was particularly interested in the fate of the news channel CNN, which has often been critical of his policies. In December, Trump said that it must be ensured that CNN would definitely change hands in the event of a deal. The channel, which often highlights falsehoods said by Trump and features politicians with different views, spreads "poison" and "lies", he claimed.
Paramount was bought last year by the family of tech billionaire Larry Ellison, known as a Trump supporter. Since the takeover by the Ellisons, the newsroom of the Paramount channel CBS has adopted a partly friendly tone towards the Trump administration. Trump critics in the US fear that CNN could lose its editorial independence under the Paramount umbrella.
In December, Trump also speculated that Netflix's high market share in the streaming business was a problem with the takeover plans. He referred to the upcoming competition review and said that he would also be involved in the decision. According to the new statements, this will no longer be the case. However, Justice Minister Pam Bondi is a reliable ally of the President.
