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Sen. Bernie Sanders, I-Vt., is accusing President Donald Trump of embracing “authoritarianism” after learning that Jared Kushner helped advance Paramount’s hostile takeover bid for Warner Bros. Discovery.
“A handful of giant corporations already control much of the media,” Sanders wrote Wednesday in an X post. “Trump wants to make it worse. He vows to ‘be involved’ in allowing his billionaire allies, his son-in-law, and the Saudis, Qataris and Emirates to buy Warner Bros.”
Sanders added, “That’s authoritarianism. Not democracy.”
On Friday, Netflix Friday agreed to acquire Warner Bros. Discovery’s film and television studios and streaming platform, HBO Max, in a cash-and-stock deal valued at $27.75 per Warner Bros. Discovery share.
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Then on Monday, Paramount launched a $108 billion hostile takeover bid for the entire company, including its cable assets like CNN.
Trump did not say on Monday whether he supported Paramount’s bid, which is being partially financed by his son-in-law Jared Kushner’s private equity firm, Affinity Partners, and the president told reporters he hadn’t discussed the deal with Kushner.
Before Paramount announced a hostile takeover bid, Trump said he will play a role in the proposed Netflix takeover of Warner Bros. Discovery himself.
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“I’ll be involved in that decision,” Trump said while walking into the Kennedy Center on Dec. 7. “They have a very big market share, and when they have Warner Bros., you know, that share goes up a lot.”
The Wall Street Journal reported that Paramount owner David Ellison has told Trump officials he’d make sweeping changes to CNN if he became the new owner.
Trump told reporters at the White House Wednesday it was “imperative” CNN be part of any sale of the Warner Bros. Studios.
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“I think the people that have run CNN for the last long period of time are a disgrace,” he said. “I think it’s imperative that CNN be sold because you certainly wouldn’t want to put people, just leave those people with some money, good money at CNN so that, you know, they can spend even more money spreading poison because it’s lies. It’s a disgrace. So, I wouldn’t want to see the same company end up with CNN.”
Trump has a close relationship with Ellison, and his father, billionaire Larry Ellison, but has largely remained neutral in the bidding war. He praised Netflix as a “great company” last week and called its CEO, Ted Sarandos, a “fantastic man,” while still expressing concern about the company’s market share.
The president also criticized Paramount over a “60 Minutes” interview featuring ally-turned-foe Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene, R-Ga., writing on Truth Social that the new ownership is “NO BETTER THAN THE OLD OWNERSHIP.”
Ellison took over Paramount as part of its $8 billion merger with Skydance Media in August.
FOX Business has reached out to the White House for comment.
Fox News Digital’s Brian Flood and Joseph A. Wulfsohn contributed to this report.
