Trump Claims Role in Potential Netflix–Warner Bros. Deal Decision

President Donald Trump is raising concerns about Netflix’s plan to buy Warner Brothers Discovery’s movie studio and HBO networks in a huge $72 billion deal.

He spoke about it during an event in Washington DC and said Netflix already has a big presence in the streaming world, and combining it with Warner Brothers could create issues.

Trump said Netflix has a “very big market share” and that it would increase “by a lot” if the deal goes ahead. He also said he would take part personally in the decision of whether the government should approve it.

Netflix and Warner Bros announced on Friday that they had agreed to bring major franchises such as Harry Potter, Game of Thrones, Looney Tunes, The Matrix, and The Lord of the Rings under Netflix.

This would create one of the biggest entertainment companies ever. The deal still needs approval from competition authorities, and it is not expected to be completed until after Warner Bros divides its business in the second half of 2026.

Netflix’s co-CEO Ted Sarandos recently visited the Oval Office, and Trump said he thought highly of him. Trump said, “I have a lot of respect for him. He’s a great person. He’s done one of the greatest jobs in the history of movies.” Sarandos said earlier that the arrangement might have surprised investors, but he saw it as a way to help Netflix stay strong for “the decades to come.”

According to the BBC, some industry experts believe the merger will likely be approved but may require certain conditions. Blair Westlake, a media executive and former Universal Studios television and networks chair, told the BBC that the real competition concern is how Netflix and HBO’s streaming business would combine. He explained that Netflix does not have a film library as large as Warner’s, and the two companies are strong in different areas.

Another expert, Bill Kovacic, who once chaired the Federal Trade Commission, told the BBC that Trump’s comments show the White House will play a major role in the final decision. He said, “That means that we’re going to have probably a deep level, an unprecedented level of presidential control in the resolution of what used to be a technical analysis of a merger.”

The BBC also reports that Netflix beat out other companies, including Comcast and Paramount Skydance, to secure the deal. Paramount Skydance, led by David Ellison, had wanted to buy all of Warner Bros earlier, and his father Larry Ellison is known to be close to Trump.

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