Trump urges that CNN be placed under new ownership as Warner Bros. Discovery explores a potential sale.

WASHINGTON, Dec 11 — US President Donald Trump said yesterday that he wants CNN to come under new ownership as part of the Warner Bros Discovery sale, renewing his long-running feud with the news network.

Warner Bros Discovery is currently the focus of a high-profile bidding battle between Paramount — led by CEO David Ellison, son of Trump ally Larry Ellison — and streaming giant Netflix.

Under Paramount’s proposal, CNN would move into the Ellison family’s portfolio. Under Netflix’s plan, Warner Bros Discovery would divest CNN and other cable news assets before finalising the sale of its studio and streaming businesses.

“I think any deal should — it should be guaranteed and certain — that CNN is part of it or sold separately,” Trump told business leaders at the White House on Wednesday.

“I don’t think the people running that company right now, and running CNN — which is a very dishonest group of people — should be allowed to continue. I think CNN should be sold along with everything else,” he said.

Departing from past presidential norms, Trump has stated he will personally participate in the government’s review of the merger instead of leaving the decision entirely to the Department of Justice.

US media reports say both bidders — described by Trump as “good companies” — have lobbied the White House and Trump directly for support.

Trump has long maintained a combative relationship with CNN and other major news outlets, frequently labelling them “fake news” and criticising them on social media.

His push to ensure CNN ends up with owners he considers “friendly” appears to give Paramount an edge, even though Netflix’s offer would also see CNN sold — but to a yet-unknown buyer.

Since David Ellison assumed leadership of Paramount earlier this year, the company has appointed journalist Bari Weiss as editor-in-chief of CBS News. Weiss, a vocal critic of perceived bias in mainstream media, was widely welcomed by conservatives.

Days before Ellison took charge of CBS, “The Late Show with Stephen Colbert,” a long-running programme and prominent Trump critic, was cancelled.

However, Trump lashed out at Paramount and Ellison on Monday, posting on Truth Social that “THEY ARE NO BETTER THAN THE OLD OWNERSHIP” after CBS aired an interview with Congresswoman Marjorie Taylor Greene, once an ally but now a critic.

Netflix, meanwhile, is widely linked to Democratic circles, with founder Reed Hastings known as a major donor to the Democratic Party. — AFP