A "cynical plot" to turn CNN into a MAGA-friendly channel could be underway as Donald Trump hears out bids from Netflix and Paramount.
Paramount CEO David Ellison has reportedly told insiders he would influence CNN into making changes that would benefit the Trump administration. The Wall Street Journal claims Ellison has "offered assurances to administration officials" that CNN would receive sweeping changes should Paramount win the bidding war for Warner Bros. Discovery.
Netflix has also bid on Warner Bros., but Ellison has played up to Trump's apparent desire to have CNN changed. The president told people close to him that he wanted new ownership of CNN and changes to its programming, which Ellison appears to have assured he can do.
But the plot to make CNN "full MAGA" relies on Jared Kushner too, who has backed a $108billion takeover bid from Paramount for Warner Bros. Discovery. Ellison made it clear what he wants from the takeover and took a shot at Netflix.
He said, "I’m incredibly grateful for the relationship that I have with the president, and I also believe he believes in competition. And when you fundamentally look at the marketplace, allowing the number one streaming service to combine with the number three streaming service is anti-competitive."
"We want to build a scaled, new service that is basically, fundamentally in the trust business, that is in the truth business, and that speaks to the 70 percent of Americans that are in the middle, and we believe that by doing so, that is for us, kind of doing well while doing good."
Ellison was asked about what the president may make of his possible CNN takeover. The 42-year-old Paramount Skydance CEO replied, "We’ve had great conversations with the president about this, but I don’t want to speak for him in any way, shape, or form."
Trump has made his thoughts on CNN very clear over the course of his two presidential terms. Most recently, Trump posted a furious tirade against the news channel and Caitlin Collins.
He wrote, "Caitlin Collins of Fake News CNN, always Stupid and Nasty, asked me why the new Ballroom was costing more money than originally thought one year ago. FAKE NEWS CNN, and the guy who runs the whole corrupt operation that owns it, is one of the worst in the business. Their ratings are so low that they’re not even counted or relevant anymore. MAGA!!!"
