Exclusive | Trump says he wants a new owner for CNN as part of any sale of Warner Bros. Discovery: ‘A very dishonest group of people’
The former president has made it clear that any deal for Warner Bros. Discovery (WBD) must involve a fresh owner for CNN. Trump has expressed a preference for Paramount Skydance’s bid over the one that won a week earlier from Netflix.
Netflix’s proposal covers Warner’s film studio and the HBO Max streaming arm, leaving CNN’s current leadership in place. By contrast, Paramount Skydance seeks a clean purchase of the entire conglomerate, with CNN falling under the management of Bari Weiss, the news head at CBS.
In a candid statement to reporters, Trump insisted that the sale must either include CNN outright or see it spun off. “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,” he said.
Sources close to the matter reveal that the timing of Trump’s remarks line up with Paramount Skydance’s leadership scrambling to mitigate fallout from a recent “60 Minutes” interview with Marjorie Taylor Greene, in which she criticized the president. David Ellison and his father, Larry Ellison, have reportedly been working with the White House to navigate the situation. Trump has blasted the network’s executives, labeling the “current management” as corrupt and accusing them of allowing unqualified personnel to steer the channel.
The president went further, hurling accusations at “60 Minutes” reporters. “Since they bought it, 60 Minutes has actually gotten WORSE!” he roared. He also called Leslie Stahl a “Trump‑hating, 60 Minutes ‘correspondent.’” Trump’s frustration appears rooted in a belief that new ownership would enable the show to air controversial segments he deems damaging.
Inside sources say Paramount Skydance’s CEO, David Ellison, and president Jeff Shell had been unaware of the broadcast until it aired. They claim that the “rogue” reporters and staff were caught out when the company finally learned of the interview.
When asked for comment, a Paramount spokesperson redirected inquiries to CBS representative Chris Ender, who declined to speak and offered no affirmation of Trump’s narrative.
The dispute over who owns CNN comes amid a tense regulatory environment where Trump’s political agenda intersects heavily with corporate finance. He remains adamant that the channel’s apparent anti‑MAGA slant must be “neutralized”; this stance has driven him to favor the Ellisons’ bid over Netflix’s. Paramount argues that it poses less antitrust risk and points to Larry Ellison’s status as a longtime supporter of Trump’s movement.
On Monday, the company presented a “hostile” counter‑offer that capped its $30 per share all‑cash proposal at a higher value than Netflix’s $30.75 cash‑stock offer. Netflix stays focused on acquiring just the studio and streaming service, with the intention of eventually spinning off WBD’s cable assets, including CNN and Discovery.
Financially, both contenders are gearing up for a bid war that could push the price up well beyond the company’s current market value of around $31 billion. Depending on negotiations and regulatory approvals, the deal could swell to $35 a share, roughly $91 billion. Amid these high stakes, Trump’s interference underscores a broader challenge: balancing media ownership, political influence, and antitrust scrutiny in a highly polarized era.
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