President Donald Trump said Wednesday that it is "important" that CNN be sold. His comments come as CNN's parent company, Warner Bros. Discovery (WBD), prepares for a proposed merger with Netflix and faces a hostile takeover bid from Paramount.
"I think CNN should be sold because the people who run it are either corrupt or incompetent. I don't think they should be trusted to run CNN. So I think any deal should ensure that CNN is included or sold separately. I think CNN should be sold along with everything else," Trump told reporters at the White House.
WBD agreed last week to sell its film, television, and streaming assets to Netflix for $72 billion. However, the deal will not include WBD's cable channels, such as CNN and TNT.
Paramount has made a competitive bid of $30 per share. The offer will be partially financed by Saudi Arabia, Qatar, the United Arab Emirates, and Affinity Partners, an investment firm founded by Trump's son-in-law, Jared Kushner.
According to The Wall Street Journal, Paramount CEO David Ellison visited Trump and said he would make significant changes to CNN.
Trump said he would "probably be involved" in the decision, adding: "Some good companies are competing."
Trump has frequently criticized CNN's management and coverage. In 2022, Trump filed a defamation lawsuit against CNN, but it was dismissed.
