Trump demands new owner for CNN as part of any Warner Bros. Discovery sale
President Donald Trump has indicated that he wants CNN under entirely new management as part of any sale of Warner Bros. Discovery (WBD), signaling a preference for a Paramount Skydance bid over Netflix’s recent winning offer.
Netflix has agreed to acquire WBD’s Warner Bros. studio and HBO Max streaming service, leaving CNN’s current leadership in place. In contrast, Paramount Skydance is seeking to buy all of WBD, including CNN, and plans to place the network under the leadership of CBS news chief Bari Weiss.
On Wednesday, Trump directly weighed in on the potential sale, making an unusual public statement about the network’s management. “I think any deal, it should be guaranteed and certain that CNN is part of it or sold separately, but I don’t think the people that are running that company right now and running CNN, which is a very dishonest group of people, I don’t think that should be allowed to continue,” the president said.
Sources say Trump’s comments came amid efforts by Paramount Skydance’s owners, David Ellison and his father Larry, to manage fallout from a controversial “60 Minutes” interview with Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene. The interview, which aired Sunday, included criticism of the president, prompting Trump to denounce Paramount Skydance and its management.
“Since they bought it, 60 Minutes has actually gotten WORSE!” Trump said, calling Greene a “traitor” and accusing correspondent Leslie Stahl of being “Trump-hating.” He added, “My real problem with the show, however, wasn’t the low IQ traitor, it was that the new ownership of 60 Minutes, Paramount, would allow a show like this to air.”
Insiders say Paramount Skydance CEO David Ellison, President Jeff Shell, and Weiss were reportedly unaware of the broadcast until it aired. A spokesperson for Paramount Skydance referred questions to CBS representative Chris Ender, who declined to comment on the specifics.
Trump’s comments highlight the challenges of operating a major media company under his administration, with industry insiders noting the president appears intent on shaping the deal to align with his political objectives. Trump has previously emphasized his desire to “neutralize” CNN’s alleged anti-MAGA bias, which influenced his support for Paramount’s bid.
Paramount Skydance has pitched its offer to WBD shareholders as providing “regulatory certainty” from the White House, arguing it has less antitrust overlap than Netflix and noting Larry Ellison’s history as a MAGA supporter. On Monday, Paramount launched a hostile bid to overturn WBD’s decision to select Netflix, offering $30 per share in cash compared with Netflix’s $30.75 cash-stock offer. Netflix’s bid targets only Warner Bros. studio and HBO Max, with cable properties such as Discovery and CNN to be spun off.
Money will also play a decisive role. Both Paramount Skydance and Netflix are expected to compete in a bidding war that could push the price to $35 per share, or $91 billion, well above WBD’s pre-sale market value of approximately $31 billion.
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