Paramount chief reportedly promised Trump 'sweeping changes' at CNN as part of Warner Bros. takeover
Source: The Independent
Tuesday 09 December 2025 14:03 EST
In his effort to win over Donald Trump’s approval as he looks to gobble up Warner Bros. Discovery, Paramount chief executive David Ellison told White House officials in recent days that he would make “sweeping changes” at the cable news channel that sparks the president’s ire the most: CNN.
According to the Wall Street Journal, Ellison – who launched a $108 billion hostile takeover bid of WBD after Netflix and Warner announced their deal last week – made a trip to Washington recently to assure Trump administration officials that CNN would have a new look if he bought the network’s parent company. “Trump has told people close to him that he wants new ownership of CNN as well as changes to CNN programming,” the WSJ added.
Ellison’s vow to overhaul the network that Trump has obsessively labeled “fake news” comes after the media mogul’s father, close Trump ally and megabillionaire Larry Ellison, talked with the White House about getting rid of certain CNN hosts as part of a Paramount takeover of Warner. The elder Ellison, who is the world’s second richest man, is bankrolling much of Paramount’s WBD offer.
According to The Guardian, in one phone call with the White House, Larry Ellison “engaged in a dialogue about possibly axing some of the CNN hosts whom Donald Trump is said to loathe, including Erin Burnett and Brianna Keilar.”
David Ellison wants to combine CBS News and CNN, and has said he’s had ‘great conversations’ with Trump about his plans.
Read more: https://www.the-independent.com/news/world/americas/us-politics/paramount-david-ellison-trump-cnn-warner-bros-b2881220.html
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