Tag: President Trump

Nielsen: Trump’s State of the Union Drew 32.6 Million TV Viewers, Down More Than 10% From Last Year

An estimated 32.6 million people across 23.2 million homes watched President Donald Trump deliver the 2026 State of the Union address on Feb. 24, according to new Nielsen data.

The tally is down almost 11% from Trump’s March 4, 2025, State of the Union address, which generated 36.6 million viewers.

Both totals pale in comparison to Trump’s first term speeches as president that generated State of the Union viewership of 47.7 million, 45.5 million, 46.8 million and 37.2 million, respectively.

While coverage varied by network, 15 networks televised the address from approximately 9:12 to 10:59 p.m. ET — with concurrent live streams where available.

Subscribe HERE to the FREE Media Play News Daily Newsletter!

Netflix’s Ted Sarandos to Meet Trump Officials at the White House on Feb. 26

Netflix co-CEO Ted Sarandos is reportedly meeting at the White House with Trump Administration officials on Feb. 26 to discuss issues surrounding the streamer’s accepted $82.7 billion all-cash acquisition of Warner Bros. Discovery’s streaming and studio assets.

As first reported by Politico, the meetings will address President Trump’s social media call for the streamer to fire board member Susan Rice following her negative comments about corporations allegedly “bending at the knee” to the president.

It was not immediately clear if Sarandos would meet with Trump personally.

Sarandos apparently has a cordial relationship with the president, meeting with Trump before his inauguration and last November to discuss the Warner Bros. Discovery deal.

Trump, who initially said he would be personally involved in the transaction, later backed off saying he would remain an observer. That mindset changed on Feb. 21 after Trump saw a social media post from right-wing influencer Laura Loomer, in which she decried comments made by Rice, former U.S. Ambassador to the United Nations and National Security Advisor in the Obama Administration.

“Fire racist, Trump Deranged Susan Rice, IMMEDIATELY, or pay the consequences,” Trump wrote on his Truth Social X account. “She’s got no talent or skills — Purely a political hack! HER POWER IS GONE, AND WILL NEVER BE BACK. How much is she being paid, and for what??? Thank you for your attention to this matter. President DJT.”

Sarandos, in response, downplayed Trump’s comments, arguing the Warner Bros. Discovery transaction is a business decision, not political.

Since then, rival suitor Paramount Skydance has upped its hostile all-cash bid to $110.9 billion, which includes WBD’s television networks. Paramount has also agreed to separately absorb upwards of $11.3 billion in termination fees, penalties and other charges — a stunning pledge considering Skydance Media acquired Paramount Global for $8 billion.

Speaking to British press over the weekend, Sarandos was asked if Netflix would counter a new bid. The executive said the streamer is not dependent upon WBD for its future success, and has a strong history of letting other companies overpay for third-party assets.

If WBD accepts the Paramount deal, Netflix is set to receive a $2.8 billion termination fee.

Subscribe HERE to the FREE Media Play News Daily Newsletter!

Ted Sarandos Downplays Trump’s Call For Netflix to Fire Board Member Susan Rice

Netflix co-CEO Ted Sarandos Feb. 23 downplayed threats made over the weekend by President Trump that the streamer fire board member Susan Rice over her negative comments about him and his administration on a third-party podcast.

Appearing on BBC Radio’s “Today” show, Sarandos, who was in London attending the annual BAFTA Awards, was asked about Trump’s social media post — made after right-wing influencer Laura Loomer posted comments Rice, who was the former U.S. Ambassador to the United Nations in the Obama Administration, made on Preet Bharara’s podcast, “Stay Tuned for Preet” — and how they might impact the streamer’s $82.7 billion acquisition of Warner Bros. Discovery’s streaming and studio assets.

“This is a business deal,” Sarandos told the BBC. “It’s not a political deal. This deal is run by the Department of Justice in the U.S. and regulators throughout Europe and around the world.”

Rice had said that U.S. companies cozying up to Trump might see an undisclosed backlash when the political tide turns.

“For those that decided that they would act in their perceived very narrow self interest, which I would underscore as very short-term self-interest, and take a knee to Trump. I think they are now starting to realize, ‘Wait a minute. This is not popular. Trump is not popular,’” Rice said.

Loomer, in her post, alleged that “anti-American, WOKE” Netflix acquiring Warner Bros. Discovery’s streaming and studio assets would give former President Barack Obama and First Lady Michelle Obama a bigger platform for their “upcoming witch hunts against Trump.”

Netflix has a production deal with the Obamas’ Higher Ground Productions content company, whose recent titles on the streamer include Fatherhood with Kevin Hart; “The Later Daters” reality romance show; the sci-fi drama Leave the World Behind, starring Julia Roberts and Ethan Hawk; and “Our Great National Parks,” among others.

When pressed about Trump’s threat that Netflix not firing Rice could lead to the streaming giant “pay[ing] the consequences,” presumably in its quest to acquire WBD, Sarandos reiterated that the WBD-board’s accepted $82.7 billion offer would grow the digital entertainment market, while sustaining the existing exhibition industry.

“[Trump] likes to do a lot of things on social media,” Sarandos said.

“This is a vertical merger,” he added. “We’re buying a movie studio and a distribution entity that we don’t currently have — we’ll be adding to the market, where Paramount has committed that they’re going to cut $6 billion out of the business right away. This industry will be much smaller under that ownership than it would be under the Netflix version.”

Subscribe HERE to the FREE Media Play News Daily Newsletter!

Trump Demands Netflix Fire Board Member Susan Rice or ‘Pay the Consequences’

If Netflix thought it could avoid politics (and President Trump) securing government approval of its $82.7 billion acquisition of Warner Bros. Discovery’s streaming and studio assets, that notion blew up spectacularly Feb. 21 when the president demanded the streamer fire board member Susan Rice, former U.S. Ambassador to the United Nations and National Security Advisor under the Obama Administration.

Susan Rice

In a social media post, Trump, citing a blog post from right-wing influencer Laura Loomer, called on Netflix to fire Rice following her comments on a separate podcast this week where the former ambassador warned about corporations she claimed are ingratiating themselves to the Trump Administration at the expense of future popular and political support.

“Fire racist, Trump Deranged Susan Rice, IMMEDIATELY, or pay the consequences,” Trump wrote on his Truth Social X account. “She’s got no talent or skills — Purely a political hack! HER POWER IS GONE, AND WILL NEVER BE BACK. How much is she being paid, and for what??? Thank you for your attention to this matter. President DJT.”

Speaking on Preet Bharara’s podcast, “Stay Tuned for Preet,” released Feb. 19, Rice told the former U.S. Attorney for the Southern District of New York, that “it is not going to end well for [the companies],” if and when the political tide turns against Trump.

“For those that decided that they would act in their perceived very narrow self interest, which I would underscore as very short-term self-interest, and take a knee to Trump, I think they are now starting to realize, ‘Wait a minute. This is not popular. Trump is not popular,'” Rice said.

Her comments come as Netflix’s acquisition of WBD faces ongoing antitrust scrutiny in the Trump-controlled Justice Department, and in Congress.

Trump’s public ire follows his most-recent assertion that he would not take a personal role in the Netflix/WBD/Paramount acquisition saga.

Rival suitor Paramount Skydance this week announced that its hostile $108.4 billion bid for WBD had passed government antitrust scrutiny.

Paramount has bent over backwards trying to please Trump through the hiring of Rene Augustine, a former special assistant to Trump and senior associate counsel in the office of White House Counsel, to the position SVP of global public policy, reporting to chief legal officer Makan ⁠Delrahim — Trump’s former antitrust boss in his first administration.

Paramount also hired Bari Weiss, a self-described “radical centrist,” as editor-in-chief of CBS News, including “60 Minutes.” Weiss, in her first months on the job, has come under fire for her perceived bias favoring the Trump Administration in news reporting and coverage.

Subscribe HERE to the FREE Media Play News Daily Newsletter!

 

Trump Says He Will Skip Personal Involvement in Warner Bros. Discovery Sale Approval Process

After telling the media that he would be personally involved in the regulatory approval process regarding whether Netflix or Paramount Skydance acquires Warner Bros. Discovery assets, President Trump now says he will stay out of it.

“I haven’t been involved,” Trump told NBC News in an interview. “I’ve been called by both sides. It’s the two sides, but I’ve decided I shouldn’t be involved. The Justice Department will handle it.”

In December, the president said the battle for Warner Bros. Studios, HBO Max streaming and Turner TV networks involved one company (Netflix) that some observers alleged was getting too big, and another (Paramount) that believed it had a superior offer to WBD shareholders.

Netflix has an accepted all-cash $82.7 billion (including enterprise value) offer by the WBD board, which says the streamer’s deal is fiscally superior to Paramount’s counter $108.4 billion offer, which includes WBD’s television assets.

The Justice department is currently scrutinizing Netflix’s offer. Co-CEO Ted Sarandos Feb. 3 appeared before a Congressional hearing on antitrust concerns where he said Netflix acquiring WBD is good for Hollywood, employment, consumers and the national economy. The executive said that Netflix over the years has created more than 155,000 American jobs, in addition to injecting $225 billion into the U.S. economy. Sarandos said Netflix would honor Warner’s current 45-day theatrical window for new-release movies.

Regardless, Trump said the transaction has become a slugfest.

“They’re beating the hell out of each other — and there’ll be a winner,” he said.

Netflix has agreed to pay a $5.8 billion breakup fee to WBD if their acquisition falls through due to regulatory failure or other specified reasons.

If WBD walks away from its existing agreement with Netflix, it must pay the streamer a $2.8 billion termination fee.

China’s ByteDance Sells Majority Stake in TikTok U.S. to Investor Group Led by Tech Billionaire Larry Ellison

ByteDance, the Chinese owner of social media video platform TikTok, has sold a majority (80.1%) stake in its U.S. app operations to an investor group led by Oracle founder Larry Ellison. ByteDance retains a 19.9% stake in the company.

Though no official purchase price was released, Vice President J.D. Vance last September reportedly said the stake was selling for $14 billion.

Ellison, who is separately backstopping Paramount Skydance’s $108.4 billion hostile bid for Warner Bros. Discovery, is spearheading the joint venture aimed to comply with the executive order signed by President Trump on Sept. 25, 2025, mandating the sale of TikTok’s U.S. operations or risk a permanent ban.

Trump, along with former President Biden and Congress, had ruled that China’s ownership of TikTok represented a national security threat due to the government’s alleged access to the platform’s users’ personal data.

TikTok claims that more than 200 million Americans and 7.5 million businesses use the social media video platform.

“The majority American owned joint venture will operate under defined safeguards that protect national security through comprehensive data protections, algorithm security, content moderation, and software assurances for U.S. users,” the investor group said in a late Jan. 22 statement.

The JV will be headed by CEO Adam Presser and chief security officer Will Farrell, and will be overseen by a board that includes TikTok U.S. CEO Shou Chew; Kenneth Glueck, EVP in the Office of the CEO at Oracle; and representatives from the investment firm Susquehanna International Group and private equity firm Silver Lake, and Middle East investment firm MGX, among others.

In a statement on his social media platform, Trump credited himself and Chinese President Xi Jinping for approving the deal.

“I am so happy to have helped in saving TikTok!,” Trump wrote on his Truth Social post. “[Xi] could have gone the other way, but didn’t, and is appreciated for his decision.”

Subscribe HERE to the FREE Media Play News Daily Newsletter!

Trump Bought Millions in Netflix, WBD Bonds After Dec. 5 Merger Announcement

President Trump bought millions worth of bonds in Netflix and Warner Bros. Discovery, almost 10 days after the Dec. 5 announcement of the two companies’ $72 billion ($82.7 billion enterprise value) select asset merger.

The White House Jan. 16 disclosed the Dec. 16 bond purchases that were part of around $100 million in transactions. The two purchases were about $502,000 in each company.

Reuters reported a White House official told them Trump’s stock and bond portfolio is independently managed by third-party financial institutions, with Trump and his family members not directly involved in how the portfolio is invested.

Bonds differ from stocks in many ways, but both can play an important role in an investment portfolio. While stocks represent part ownership in a company, bonds represent a loan to the company with the promise to repay any borrowed money, along with a set amount of interest.

The purchases come after Trump has said he would take an active role in the regulatory process involving either Netflix or rival Paramount Skydance’s attempt to acquire WBD.

The merger, which would not likely involve the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) since Netflix is not acquiring Warner’s broadcast TV assets, including CNN and Turner, does raise possible antitrust issues that would involve the Justice Department.

Speaking to reporters Dec. 7 at the annual Kennedy Center Honors in Washington, D.C., Trump said the deal could be problematic if Netflix’s media market share becomes too big.

“[Netflix has] a very big market share. When they have Warner Bros. that share goes up quite a bit. It could be a problem,” Trump said.

Netflix ranked No. 5 in November U.S. media rankings with a 8.3% total household TV media share, behind NBCUniversal (8.8%), Paramount, Disney (10.5%), and YouTube with 12.9%, according to Nielsen.

The president said he would discuss the issue with “some economic consultants” before making any decision on the transaction.

“I’ll be involved in that decision, too,” Trump said — an unusual statement as presidents historically have not been personally involved in corporate mergers.

The president, in November, met with Netflix co-CEO Ted Sarandos, and the executive stressed the streamer’s lack of dominant media market share outside of subscription streaming video.

Trump called Sarandos “a fantastic man,” who he said he has “a lot of respect for. But it’s a lot of market share.”

Trump is also personal friends with tech billionaire Larry Ellison, whose son, David Ellison, is attempting to acquire WBD through Paramount Skydance with a hostile $108.4 billion offer.

Subscribe HERE to the FREE Media Play News Daily Newsletter!

Netflix, Paramount Lining Up Trump Allies to Navigate WBD Acquisition Regulatory Hurdles

Netflix and Paramount Skydance are reportedly lining up loyalists to President Trump in an effort to ease probable regulatory hurdles regarding their separate acquisitions of Warner Bros. Discovery.

Trump, who has said he would be personally involved in the regulatory process, has already said any deal should include the separate sale or shutdown of CNN.

Netflix may have an accepted $72 billion ($82.7 billion enterprise value) 80% cash/20% stock offer to acquire the studio (Warner Bros. Studios) and streaming (HBO Max) assets of WBD, but getting past the regulatory goal line is another matter.

Since Netflix’s acquisition does not involve WBD’s TV assets, the Federal Communications Commission will not have a say on the deal, unlike the Department of Justice’s antitrust lawyers.

Paramount CEO David Ellison, who has proposed an all-cash $77.9 billion offer ($108.4 billion enterprise value) directly to WBD shareholders, would appear to have more of an inside track with Trump through his father, Oracle founder Larry Ellison, the latter a huge Trump supporter and instrumental in acquiring Trump-approved U.S. operations of China-owned TikTok social media video platform.

The younger Ellison was instrumental in pushing through Paramount-owned CBS News’ $16 million settlement with Trump over an election interference lawsuit involving the editing of a “60 Minutes” interview with former VP Kamala Harris ahead of the 2024 election, in addition to installing a third-party ombudsman to monitor against alleged political bias at CBS News, among other measures.

In response, Netflix has lined up a team of Trump-friendly associates, including  Kellyanne Conway, Trump’s former White House senior counselor and 2016 campaign manager, in addition to former Trump White House aides May Mailman and Clete Willems — the latter now chief global affairs officer, according to The Wall Street Journal, citing sources familiar with the situation.

Netflix is also reportedly working with longtime GOP power broker Brian Ballard ahead of the projected 12- to 18-month regulatory approval process.

Paramount may have an additional ace up its sleeve in Makan Delrahim, the former DOJ antitrust boss in Trump’s first term, who is now working full-time for Paramount overseeing all legal, regulatory, compliance and public policy issues for the media company.

WBD also has prominent GOP officials advising the company’s board of directors and CEO David Zaslav. To date, the decision has been to side with Netflix, the world’s largest subscription streaming platform in the world, and longtime industry disruptor.

To the casual observer, Netflix vs. Paramount would appear to be a mismatch on paper.

The streamer currently is operating a $8.5 billion profit through Sept. 30, with a market cap around $402 billion. Netflix has never reported a fiscal loss. Paramount, by comparison (without senior Ellison’s fiscal deep pockets), is nursing a $48 million loss through September with a market cap around $14.5 billion.

Subscribe HERE to the FREE Media Play News Daily Newsletter!

TikTok Inks Trump-Backed Agreement to Sell U.S. Operations to Investors, Led by WBD Bidder Larry Ellison

TikTok, the popular social media video platform owned by China’s ByteDance, has reportedly signed an agreement to sell its U.S. operations to a group of investors led by Oracle founder Larry Ellison, whose son, David Ellison, is trying to acquire Warner Bros. Discovery.

The deal, which is backed by President Trump, is expected to close on Jan. 22, according to media reports citing sources.

The platform, which has more than one billion monthly active users worldwide, including 136 million users in the U.S., saw domestic revenue of $10 billion in 2024.

Ellison, along with the Silver Lake private equity group, and Abu Dhabi-based MGX will each hold 15% stakes, with another 30.1% stake held by existing investors, and 19.9% held by ByteDance.

Ellison will also reportedly license TikTok’s recommendation algorithm.

Trump, in his first term, threatened to cancel TikTok access in the U.S., citing national security concerns. In his current term, the president seemed amenable to continuing the social media platform’s operations in the U.S. as long as ByteDance agreed to sell its American assets.

President Biden, in April 2024, signed a law banning TikTok’s operations in the U.S., which was to take effect on Jan. 20, 2025. Trump halted the ban favoring a third-party sale.

Ellison’s involvement could raise antitrust concerns regarding his son’s hostile $108.4 billion takeover bid for Warner Bros. Discovery — considering much of that offer is supposed to be backed by the elder Ellison.

Critics contend the country’s major media assets are rapidly being absorbed by a few billionaires, including the senior Ellison’s stake in Paramount Skydance, Elon Musk’s ownership of the X social media platform, Mark Zuckerberg’s Facebook and Instagram platforms, and Jeff Bezos’ ownership of Prime Video, Amazon MGM Studios and the Washington Post.

Subscribe HERE to the FREE Media Play News Daily Newsletter!

Trump on Warner Bros. Discovery Auction: ‘CNN Should be Sold. Because It’s Lies. It’s a Disgrace’

President Trump Dec. 10 reiterated his disdain for select news media organizations, notably CNN, when asked whether the world’s largest cable news organization should be involved in Paramount Skydance’s hostile bid to acquire Warner Bros. Discovery.

WBD currently has an agreement in place with Netflix to sell only its studio and streaming assets to the streamer for $72 billion.

That leaves WBD global television networks, which include Turner, TNT, CNN and Eurosport, to either be spun-off into a separate publicly-traded company, or included in Paramount’s bid for the whole company — an offer that includes funding from Trump’s son-in-law Jared Kushner.

Speaking to reporters from the White House, Trump said he wasn’t involved in the mega media asset sale, but then added he would probably be involved  in any federal government decision on the matter.

“It depends,” he said. “You have some good companies bidding on it.”

The president, who appeared to believe that both Netflix and Paramount are bidding on WBD’s TV assets, reiterated his animus toward CNN, which began in his first term when he characterized the network and other media outlets critical of his presidency as “fake news.”

“I think the people that have run CNN for the last, long period of time are a disgrace,” Trump said. “I think it is imperative that CNN be sold. You certainly wouldn’t want to leave those people with some money [post sale], good money at CNN so they can spend even more money spreading poison. Because it’s lies. It’s a disgrace.”

Repeating his claim that CNN should be sold (“because the people running it right now are either corrupt or incompetent”), Trump added that he could “be talked out of it” by antitrust regulators.

“Any deal should be guaranteed that CNN is part of it, or sold separately. I don’t think [they] should be allowed to continue. CNN should be sold along with everything else.”

Meanwhile in Congress today, some members raised national security concerns over reports that Paramount’s bid includes funds from Middle Eastern countries, and if so, Warner Bros. CEO David Zaslav must file with the Committee on Foreign Investment in the United States (CFIUS) if they accept a foreign-backed bid.

Subscribe HERE to the FREE Media Play News Daily Newsletter!

From Around the Web