President Donald Trump has demanded that Netflix remove former White House National Security Advisor Susan Rice from its board of directors, the Wall Street Journal reported on the 21st (local time).
The pressure comes as Netflix enters the bidding war to acquire major Hollywood distributor Warner Bros., drawing attention to potential impacts on the merger. Netflix is pursuing a $72 billion acquisition deal with Warner Bros., which requires final approval from the U.S. Department of Justice to assess market monopoly concerns.
According to the WSJ, President Trump wrote on his social networking service Truth Social: "Netflix must immediately fire the racist and 'Trump Deranged' Susan Rice. Otherwise, they will pay the price."
Recent remarks by Rice on a podcast triggered Trump's anger. Rice said, "When Democrats return to power, they must not forgive or forget the companies that knelt before Trump," adding, "Whether it's law firms, universities, media outlets, major corporations, or Big Tech, they must act with a long-term perspective rather than the harmful short-term approach we see now."
Netflix has not responded to the president's remarks but finds itself in a difficult position. The company must overcome government antitrust hurdles while also fending off competing bidder Paramount. Paramount has proposed a $77.9 billion deal to Warner Bros. that includes CNN and other channels that Netflix has not offered to acquire.
Warner Bros. is a flagship Hollywood studio that produced the Harry Potter, Lord of the Rings, Superman, Matrix, and Batman franchises. It was Hollywood's top distributor until the early 2000s but began declining after losing ground to Disney's Marvel franchise and as the film industry shifted toward streaming services.
Rice served as U.S. Ambassador to the United Nations and National Security Advisor during the Obama administration, and as Director of the White House Domestic Policy Council under President Biden. She served on Netflix's board from 2018 to 2021 during Trump's first term and rejoined the board in 2023 after leaving the DPC.
