President Donald Trump demanded that Netflix remove board member Susan Rice, threatening the company with unspecified “consequences” as the streamer seeks federal clearance for its proposed purchase of key Warner Bros. Discovery assets. Trump made the call in a Saturday post on Truth Social, targeting Rice by name and tying his pressure to Netflix’s bid for the HBO Max owner’s studios and streaming unit.
The attack follows comments Rice made during a recent interview on the “Stay Tuned with Preet” podcast, where the former U.S. ambassador to the United Nations and national security adviser urged Democrats to remember which corporations “take a knee” to the current administration and to hold them accountable if power shifts again. That clip spread quickly in conservative media circles, and Trump’s post echoed the charge that Rice’s presence on Netflix’s board signals partisan intent.
The flare-up arrives at a sensitive moment for Netflix’s deal strategy. U.S. senators questioned Netflix co-CEO Ted Sarandos earlier this month about the competitive impact of the company’s proposed roughly $82.7 billion acquisition of Warner’s studio and streaming businesses, a transaction that would combine the world’s largest subscription streamer with a major film-and-TV supplier and the HBO Max platform. Regulators at the Justice Department have begun reviewing the proposal, setting up a test of the administration’s appetite for a blockbuster media tie-up.
Netflix faces a rival suitor. Paramount Skydance has pursued Warner Bros. Discovery with a bid pitched at $30 a share for the full company, a proposal Warner’s board has rejected while still allowing time for improvements, according to Reuters. The competing offers have turned Warner into the center of a bruising contest that blends Wall Street math with political signaling—especially now that the White House has started commenting on who sits in Netflix’s boardroom.
Rice returned to Netflix’s board in 2023 after previously serving from 2018 to 2020, the company said at the time. Netflix and Rice have not publicly responded to Trump’s demand.
