U.S. President Donald Trump poses connected the reddish carpet for the 2025 Kennedy Center Honors astatine the John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts successful Washington, D.C., U.S., December 7, 2025.
Jeenah Moon | Reuters
President Donald Trump expressed skepticism connected Sunday nighttime astir Netflix's projected acquisition of parts of Warner Bros. Discovery, saying the massive deal "could beryllium a problem" due to the fact that of however overmuch marketplace stock Netflix would extremity up with.
Trump besides said that helium volition beryllium progressive successful the process of approving the deal, which was announced connected Friday.
The streaming elephantine Netflix needs regulatory sign-off for its planned acquisition of WBD's movie workplace and streaming properties, including HBO Max. The woody has an endeavor worth of astir $83 billion.
Paramount Skydance connected Monday said it was launching a hostile bid to bargain each of WBD aft losing retired to Netflix. Larry Ellison, the billionaire begetter of Paramount CEO David Ellison, is adjacent to Trump.
Asked Sunday if WBD's woody with Netflix should beryllium allowed, Trump said, "Well, that's the question."
"They person a precise large marketplace share," Trump said, referring to Netflix.
"And erstwhile they person Warner Brothers, you know, that stock goes up a lot," Trump told reporters connected the reddish carpet earlier an lawsuit astatine the Kennedy Center successful Washington, D.C.
"So I don't know, that's going to beryllium for immoderate economists to tell," Trump said. "I'll beryllium progressive successful that determination too."
Trump said that Netflix CEO Ted Sarandos made nary guarantees astir the merger erstwhile helium visited the Oval Office past week.
"He's a large person," Trump said of Sarandos. "He's done 1 of the top jobs successful the past of movies and different things, and he's got a batch of absorbing things happening, speech from what you're talking about."
"But it is simply a large marketplace share. There's nary question," Trump said. "It could beryllium a problem."
Read much CNBC authorities coverage
A elder Trump medication authoritative told CNBC connected Friday that the medication views the woody with "heavy skepticism."
The projected acquisition has raised antitrust concerns from lawmakers, including Sen. Elizabeth Warren, D-Mass., who said it "looks similar an anti-monopoly nightmare."
Paramount warned WBD's lawyers successful a caller missive that a merchantability to Netflix apt would "never close" due to the fact that of regulatory challenges successful the U.S. and abroad, The Wall Street Journal reported.
Comcast besides had sought to bargain WBD's movie and streaming assets.
In summation to the merchantability of those assets to Paramount, WBD plans to spinout of Discovery Global, which would see the CNN, TNT Sports, and Discovery channels.
Disclosure: Comcast is the genitor institution of NBCUniversal, which owns CNBC. Versant would go the caller genitor institution of CNBC upon Comcast's planned spinoff of Versant.
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