Donald Trump Says Any Warner Bros. Discovery Deal Should Include Sale of CNN Because the ‘People Running It’ Currently Are ‘Either Corrupt or Incompetent’

President Donald Trump, who has inserted himself into the U.S. government’s review of a potential deal for Warner Bros. Discovery, said it is “imperative” that CNN be sold as part of any deal Warner Bros. Discovery enters into — so that the news network is no longer under the current management team.

Trump’s comments signal that he may be opposed to Netflix’s blockbuster deal with Warner Bros. and in favor of Paramount Skydance’s rival offer. Under Netflix’s $82.7 billion deal with Warner Bros. Discovery, the streaming giant would acquire WB’s studios and HBO Max — but not any of WBD’s TV networks, including CNN. Paramount Skydance, headed by David Ellison, launched a hostile takeover bid for Warner Bros. Discovery in its entirety, including CNN and WBD’s other cable networks.

Trump, speaking Wednesday at a White House meeting, told reporters that as part of “any deal” for Warner Bros. Discovery, it “should be guaranteed and certain that CNN is part of it or sold separately.” The president said, “I think I think CNN should be sold because I think the people that are running CNN right now” are “either corrupt or incompetent.” Trump said he didn’t want the current CNN management to be rewarded by being allowed to continue running the network “with money” from a deal.

“I don’t think the people that are running that company right now and running CNN, which is a very dishonest group of people, I don’t think that should be allowed to continue,” Trump said. “I think CNN should be sold along with everything else.”

“I think the people that have run CNN for the last, long period of time are a disgrace,” Trump said. “I think it’s imperative that CNN be sold, because you certainly wouldn’t want to put people, just leave those people with some money, good money, and CNN, so that they can spend even more money spreading poison, because it’s lies. It’s a disgrace.”

During Trump’s first term, the Justice Department sued to block AT&T’s acquisition of Time Warner on antitrust grounds — a move that was reportedly motivated by Trump’s hatred of CNN. A federal judge ruled in favor of the companies and in February 2019 the D.C. Circuit Court of Appeals upheld that decision.