President Trump declared Wednesday that it is “imperative” CNN be sold—either as part of a broader Warner Bros. Discovery transaction or separately—to remove its current leadership, whom he branded “a disgrace,” “corrupt or incompetent,” and purveyors of “poison” and “lies.”
Speaking to reporters during a White House meeting with business leaders, Trump said any approved deal must guarantee CNN changes hands, warning against leaving the network’s executives “with some money, good money and CNN so that they can spend even more money spreading poison.”
Key quotes from the president:
- “I think the people that have run CNN for the last long period of time are a disgrace… It’s lies. It’s a disgrace.”
- “I think CNN should be sold because the people that are running CNN right now… are either corrupt or incompetent.”
- “Any deal should be guaranteed and certain that CNN is part of it or sold separately… I don’t think that should be allowed to continue.”
The president reiterated his long-running criticism of CNN as “fake news,” mocked its “ratings so low they’re not even counted or relevant anymore,” and expressed concern that Netflix’s approach would give the streaming giant “a lot of market share” and create “a problem.”
He remained publicly neutral on the Paramount bid, saying only, “I don’t know enough about it,” though allies connected to the Ellison family have linked their offer to advancing Trump’s media priorities.
The comments mark the latest escalation in Trump’s years-long feud with the network and inject direct presidential pressure into the ongoing bidding war for Warner Bros. Discovery’s media properties.