Netflix CEO Claps Back At President Trump: 'This Is A Business Deal, It's Not A Political Deal'

Finviz2026/02/23 21:42

By:Finviz

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Streaming giant Netflix Inc (NASDAQ:NFLX) finds itself in a highly publicized battle to acquire media company Warner Bros. Discovery (NASDAQ:WBD) and win the company over a competing offer from Paramount Skydance (NASDAQ:PSKY). With the Trump administration needing to sign off on the deal, Netflix CEO isn't backing down against President Donald Trump.

Netflix CEO Vs. President Donald Trump

A social media post demanding that Netflix fire board of directors member Susan Rice, following Trump’s criticism, has been brushed off by Netflix CEO Ted Sarandos.

Sarandos was asked about the post during an interview with BBC Radio 4.

"This is a business deal. It's not a political deal," Sarandos said, as reported by Variety. "This deal is run by the Department of Justice in the U.S. and regulators throughout Europe and around the world."

The Netflix CEO said demands to fire Rice shared by the president might not be serious.

"He likes to do a lot of things on social media."

In a Truth Social post on Saturday, Trump said Rice should be fired and that Netflix should act "immediately" or face the consequences.

"Netflix should fire racist, Trump Deranged Susan Rice," Trump said.

Sarandos stood behind Rice with his comments and also stood behind the deal that many have opposed due to the size of combining Netflix and Warner Bros. Discovery, and combining two of the top streaming platforms in Netflix and Max.

The Netflix CEO said Netflix acquiring Warner Bros. was a vertical merger, while a deal with rival Paramount would be a horizontal media merger, which is “always bad for consumers."

"Our deal is growth."

Netflix CEO Vs. James Cameron

Along with clapping back at President Trump, Sarandos also shared thoughts on a recent letter from director James Cameron sent to the Senate chair of the antitrust subcommittee opposing the Netflix merger.

Sarandos told BBC that he personally met with Cameron in December and shared the company's commitment to the 45-day exclusive theatrical release window.

"We spent five minutes of our conversation on that," Sarandos said, as reported by Variety.

In his letter, Cameron warned that the merger of Netflix and Warner Bros. could mean job losses for the media sector and would be "disastrous for the theatrical motion picture business."

During his interview with the BBC, Sarandos said YouTube is a threat to movie theaters and streaming companies.

Photo: MartiBstock / Shutterstock.com

Disclaimer: The content of this article solely reflects the author's opinion and does not represent the platform in any capacity. This article is not intended to serve as a reference for making investment decisions.

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