President Donald Trump has offered contradictory comments regarding Netflix’s（NFLX） proposed $82.7 billion acquisition of Warner Bros. Discovery（WBD）, first warning the deal “could be a problem” before later claiming he knew nothing about it, while confirming he will be involved in the regulatory approval process.
Speaking on the red carpet at the Kennedy Center Honors on Sunday, Trump initially raised antitrust concerns. “There’s no question about it,” he said when asked about the deal. He praised Netflix as “a great company” and its CEO Ted Sarandos as “a fantastic man,” but emphasized the combined entity’s market share. “They have a very big market share and when they have Warner Bros., you know, that share goes up a lot… I’ll be involved in that decision.”
However, during a White House event the following day, Trump struck a different tone. “I didn’t know anything about the deal,” he stated, while adding, “I know the companies very well… I have to see what percentage of market they have.” He remarked that the companies involved are “not particularly great friends of mine,” but insisted he wants to “do what’s right.”
The proposed merger, which would unite two streaming giants and combine Warner’s portfolio—including its film and TV studios, DC Comics, and HBO—with Netflix’s vast library, is pending regulatory review. “It has to go through a process and we’ll see what happens,” Trump noted.
The President’s second round of comments came after Paramount Global launched a rival hostile takeover bid for Warner Bros. Discovery. Notably, the investor group backing Paramount’s offer includes an equity firm founded by Trump’s son-in-law, Jared Kushner. Trump said he has not discussed the matter with Kushner, suggesting his son-in-law is focused on Middle East peace efforts.
The potential acquisition marks a dramatic pivot in Netflix’s relationship with traditional Hollywood. Once a target of industry ridicule, the streaming pioneer is now on the verge of acquiring the very assets of its former critics.
Today, Netflix is not trying to become HBO—it is aiming to buy its parent company. If approved, the deal, expected to close in Q3 2026, would deliver iconic franchises like Harry Potter and the DC universe to Netflix, radically consolidating its dominance in the entertainment landscape.
“The goal is to become HBO faster than HBO can become us,” Netflix co-CEO Ted Sarandos said in 2013. Twelve years later, the streamer is poised to achieve that mission in the most definitive way possible—by owning it.
