Paramount Skydance has formally denied reports that company executives promised President Donald Trump they would overhaul CNN in exchange for government approval of the company’s acquisition of Warner Bros. Discovery.
The denial comes after a June 22 report published by The Wall Street Journal. According to its sources, “Larry Ellison told Trump that if Paramount landed the Warner deal, it could overhaul CNN.” The report added that both Trump and Ellison have long viewed CNN as politically biased against conservatives and the Trump administration.
President Donald Trump speaks at CPAC in 2017 – YouTube, The New York Times
The news comes as many legacy journalists and activists have expressed concern about the merger. Some critics have argued that the transaction could reshape the political and editorial landscape of several major American media outlets.
Paramount Skydance Issues Firm Denial
In a statement provided to Entertainment Weekly, Paramount Skydance rejected the claim outright.
“No commitments from either David or Larry Ellison have been made to any government body, State AG or federal agency regarding the future of CNN or any other news property, other than the goal to deliver truth-based journalism,” a company spokesperson said.
The statement represents the strongest public denial yet from the media giant following days of speculation about the role politics may have played in one of the largest media mergers in recent history. Paramount Skydance recently secured approval from the U.S. Department of Justice for its approximately $110–111 billion acquisition of Warner Bros. Discovery.
Logos for Paramount Skydance and Warner Bros. – Paramount, WB
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Because of the Ellison family’s relationship with Trump, the deal has attracted heightened scrutiny. Larry Ellison, the billionaire co-founder of Oracle and father of Paramount Skydance CEO David Ellison, has been a significant supporter of the president.
Trump Previously Called for Changes at CNN
Throughout the bidding war between Paramount Skydance and Netflix for Warner Bros. Discovery, Trump publicly appeared neutral. However, he also signaled that, regardless of the outcome, he expected significant changes at CNN.
Donald Trump speaks at a rally the night before being inaugurated as the 47th President of the United States of America – YouTube, Washington Post
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Last December, the president said, “I think any deal should — it should be guaranteed and certain that CNN is part of it or sold separately.” He added, “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.”
A White House spokesperson addressed the new reports, telling Entertainment Weekly, “President Trump has consistently maintained that he was neutral to all parties throughout the Warner Bros. Discovery bidding process.”
Reports Suggest Changes Are Still Coming
Regardless of whether Larry Ellison made any promises to President Trump, it appears likely that Paramount Skydance will make changes at CNN. Reports indicate that David Ellison plans to put Bari Weiss in charge of the news network.
While critics have portrayed Weiss as a Trump supporter, the new CBS editor-in-chief’s track record suggests that her journalistic objectives align more closely with the political center than with either party’s ideological extremes.
Bari Weiss addresses The Free Press working with Paramount – YouTube, The Free Press
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Whether those reported changes ultimately make CNN more successful remains an open question. The network has struggled for years with declining ratings, shifting audience habits, and the broader collapse of trust in traditional media institutions.
In the end, the real story may not be what was said between Larry Ellison and Donald Trump. The real story is that CNN appears poised for significant change.
Do you think the Ellisons made any promises to Trump regarding CNN? Sound off in the comments and let us know!
