Trump Ally Promises CNN Overhaul If Paramount Succeeds in Warner Bros. Takeover
Billionaire tech magnate Larry Ellison and his son, David Ellison, are at the center of a political and corporate drama that could redefine American media—and the fate of CNN.
According to multiple sources familiar with the matter, the Ellisons have privately assured President Donald Trump that if their company, Paramount Global, succeeds in its $108 billion hostile takeover of Warner Bros. Discovery (WBD), they will impose sweeping reforms at CNN, the network Trump has long branded “fake news.”
The competing bid comes just days after Netflix reached a $72 billion agreement to acquire Warner’s film and HBO assets. Crucially, the Netflix proposal does not include CNN, which would be spun off into a separate company under its deal structure.
By contrast, Paramount’s offer explicitly includes CNN—and the Ellisons have made clear they intend to remake it from the ground up.
The Wall Street Journal reported that during private meetings in Washington, David Ellison told senior Trump officials that under Paramount ownership, CNN would undergo a “fundamental cultural and editorial overhaul.” His father, Oracle founder Larry Ellison, discussed firing prominent CNN anchors such as Erin Burnett and Brianna Keilar, two figures Trump has publicly criticized.
“The president wants new ownership of CNN and changes to CNN programming,” one White House official said. “He thinks the current leadership is openly hostile and believes a sale is long overdue.”
Both Ellisons have worked to cultivate Trump’s confidence as the Justice Department’s Antitrust Division—which reports to the president—will ultimately decide whether either deal is approved. The father-son duo were seen with Trump in the presidential box at the Kennedy Center Honors on Sunday, just 48 hours before Paramount’s counteroffer was announced.
According to The Guardian, Larry Ellison personally phoned the president after the Netflix-Warner announcement to argue that a Netflix acquisition “would hand Silicon Valley near-total control over streaming media” and stifle competition.
David Ellison has publicly described his vision for CNN and CBS News under a single, merged news division. In a CNBC interview, he said Paramount’s goal is to “build a scaled news service that is in the trust business, in the truth business, that speaks to the 70 percent of Americans in the middle.”
The Ellison plan would place the combined CNN–CBS News operation under the direction of Bari Weiss, the former New York Times columnist who recently took over as CBS News editor-in-chief and has rebranded the network as “anti-woke.” Her first major move was hiring Matt Gutman, formerly of ABC News, as CBS’s chief correspondent across CBS Mornings, CBS Evening News, and 48 Hours.
Recently, Gutman drew sharp criticism for remarks made while covering the fatal shooting of Charlie Kirk. During a live broadcast, he described text messages released between the alleged killer and his romantic partner as “very touching” and “intimate,” casting them in a sympathetic light despite the gravity of the crime.
Within 24 hours, Gutman issued an apology on social media, stating he “deeply regretted” that his words could be construed as insensitive, and asserting that he unequivocally condemns the assassination and the pain caused to Kirk’s family and supporters.
The Ellisons’ proposed acquisition would realign CNN with this alleged “post-woke” CBS ethos—one aimed squarely at restoring what David Ellison calls “viewer trust.”
Despite the outburst, aides say Trump remains open to the Paramount bid—particularly given that it includes CNN, unlike the Netflix plan. The president has privately told advisers he wants “real reform” at CNN and believes a Paramount acquisition could finally bring accountability to what he views as a hostile outlet.
At a White House roundtable Monday, Trump said, “I know the companies very well. I know what they’re doing. But I have to see what percentage of market they have. None of them are particularly great friends of mine. I want to do what’s right.”
The proposed megadeals have already triggered rare bipartisan alarm. Sen. Elizabeth Warren (D-MA) called both mergers “anti-monopoly nightmares,” while Rep. Darrell Issa (R-CA) warned that such consolidation “would shrink consumer choice and silence independent voices.”
A Wall Street Journal political newsletter summed up the moment succinctly: “Both Netflix and Paramount are acting like the fate of any multibillion-dollar deal runs through the Oval Office—because it does.”
'Guilty Of Fraud' - Hammer Dropped On Former First Lady Jill Biden During Live Fox News Segment
McEnany Accuses Jill Biden Of Misleading Americans About Debate Performance
Posted July 15, 2026
Former White House press secretary and Fox News host Kayleigh McEnany accused former first lady Jill Biden of misleading the American public about President Joe Biden’s condition following his widely criticized debate performance during the 2024 campaign.
McEnany made the remarks Thursday during an appearance on Fox News Channel’s “America’s Newsroom,” where she reacted to comments Jill Biden reportedly made in her upcoming book regarding the president’s performance during the debate that ultimately intensified questions about his age and fitness for office.
The discussion began when co-host Dana Perino referenced remarks Jill Biden made immediately following the debate.
At a campaign event after the debate, Jill Biden praised her husband’s performance.
“Joe, you did such a great job. You answered every question,” she said at the time.
Perino contrasted those comments with more recent claims attributed to Jill Biden and raised questions about the apparent inconsistency.
“So now we know that this is what she’s saying in her book,” Perino said. “And the question I would love to ask her is where are you lying then or now?”
McEnany responded by arguing that Jill Biden’s reaction following the debate was inconsistent with her more recent descriptions of the event.
“It’s a great question,” McEnany said.
“That is not the reaction of someone who believes they just watched their husband have a stroke. It is an absolute lie.”
McEnany then accused the former first lady of concealing concerns about the president’s condition from voters.
“It was fraud,” she said.
“What she did fraud on the American public and she’s continuing it by saying she had never seen him like that before or after.”
The debate between Biden and President Donald Trump became a turning point in the 2024 election cycle, with many Democrats publicly expressing concern about Biden’s performance and his ability to continue his campaign.
Questions about Biden’s age and mental sharpness had circulated for years, but the debate intensified those concerns and fueled calls from some Democrats for him to step aside.
During the Fox News discussion, McEnany referenced comments previously made by veteran journalist Carl Bernstein regarding Biden’s condition behind the scenes.
“Dana, you all remember Carl Bernstein, who said he talked to people who knew Joe Biden, loved Joe Biden, supported Joe Biden, and they were adamant that what we saw was not a one-off,” McEnany said.
According to McEnany, Bernstein reported that individuals close to Biden had observed similar episodes before the debate.
“They said it had happened 15 or 20 times prior, him losing his train of thought,” she said.
McEnany also cited a fundraiser Bernstein reportedly described.
“He described a fundraiser where he froze up and seemed to have some type of rigor mortis,” she said.
“This is not something that was a one-off.”
McEnany argued that concerns about Biden’s condition were widely known among those close to him.
“This was well known,” she said.
She then questioned why Jill Biden continued publicly defending her husband following the debate.
“So why did she keep up with the fraud on the American people?” McEnany asked.
The former first lady has repeatedly defended her husband and rejected claims that she or members of his inner circle concealed concerns about his health, Breitbart News reported.
The debate over Biden’s condition became one of the defining political stories of the 2024 election cycle and continued after he ultimately left the race.
McEnany’s comments reflect ongoing scrutiny surrounding what Biden’s family, advisers and top Democratic officials knew about his condition and when they knew it.
Neither Jill Biden nor representatives for the former president immediately responded to McEnany’s latest remarks.
As new books and accounts from those involved continue to emerge, questions surrounding Biden’s final campaign and the decisions made by those closest to him remain a major topic of political debate.
