What happens to CNN is President Trump gets his way?

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Donald Trump has stated he envisions a significantly altered CNN if its owner, Warner Bros. Discovery, were to be sold.

With more information surfacing about the conflict between Netflix and Paramount regarding the movie studio and its streaming services, Donald Trump has stated he wants new owners and leaders at the network, which he has consistently criticized as part of the mainstream media for the past ten years.

On Wednesday, Trump told reporters he believes CNN’s current leadership has been poor and should no longer be in charge. He suggested that any future arrangement involving CNN should either guarantee a change in leadership or result in the network being sold off as a separate entity.

Following a sharp back-and-forth with CNN’s Kaitlan Collins, White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt explained that former President Trump feels CNN’s falling viewership suggests the network could improve with different owners. She stated this Thursday from the White House press briefing room.

Former President Trump has indicated he plans to participate in the government’s examination of the proposed Warner Bros. Discovery deal. Because of his long-standing dislike of CNN – a feeling that dates back to his 2016 presidential campaign – people within the network are concerned that the review process won’t be fair and that journalistic integrity could be compromised to facilitate the deal.

CNN declined to comment.

According to a report in The Wall Street Journal, David Ellison, the CEO of Paramount, has indicated to officials from the Trump administration that he plans to make significant changes to CNN if his company acquires it. Mr. Ellison’s representative did not respond to a request for comment.

Barry Diller has suggested merging CNN’s news team with CBS News, which recently appointed Bari Weiss – known for her conservative views – as its editor-in-chief. This potential combination comes after Paramount Global paid Donald Trump $16 million to settle a disagreement related to a “60 Minutes” interview with Vice President Kamala Harris.

Even if Netflix succeeds in its $72 billion bid, Trump stated he’d prefer a different owner for CNN. It’s important to note that Netflix’s offer doesn’t include CNN or any of Warner Bros. Discovery’s other cable channels. Paramount has responded with a competing offer of $78 billion.

Donald Trump wants better media coverage. However, trying to please the White House could be a risky business decision for whoever owns CNN in the future.

Over the past ten years, cable news has changed alongside the increasing division and strong group loyalties in American politics.

This trend benefited both Fox News, which leans conservative, and MS NOW (formerly MSNBC), a progressive network. Both have grown their audiences despite a significant drop in traditional cable and satellite TV subscriptions.

As a news junkie, I’ve noticed CNN really tries to appear neutral, but honestly, the way they covered Trump’s first term felt pretty critical to me – and a lot of other people, it seemed. It wasn’t just straight reporting either; they added a lot more opinion and analysis to their evening shows, which definitely contributed to the idea they’d shifted left.

CNN previously tried to include more conservative viewpoints during Chris Licht’s time as network president, starting in 2022. This effort came at the direction of David Zaslav, the CEO of Warner Bros. Discovery, who stated publicly that CNN needed to attract more viewers from the right.

Hollywood Inc.

Jim Acosta, a longtime CNN reporter famous for his tough questioning of the Trump administration, is departing the network because he was offered a late-night time slot he didn’t want.

Viewers quickly left the network, causing it to fall to third place behind MS NOW. While CNN previously made $1.2 billion in profit earlier in the 2010s, it’s now projected to earn around $675 million this year.

Jon Klein, who used to lead CNN and now works in digital media, believes it would be a mistake for CNN to obviously try to appeal to conservative viewers again.

It’s unlikely you’ll get Fox News viewers to suddenly start trusting CNN, or seeing it as friendly to their beliefs. These viewers tend to be older and set in their ways, and years of built-up distrust won’t disappear quickly.

According to Klein, even newer, strongly pro-Trump networks like Newsmax and OAN haven’t been able to challenge Fox News’s leading position. He believes that if CNN were to move further to the right, MS NOW would likely be the one to gain viewers.

Honestly, as someone who used to work at CNN, I’m really worried. One former colleague told me that any further missteps could cause the network’s viewership to plummet and ultimately become insignificant. They didn’t want to be named, but their concern was clear – things are already heading downhill, and it could get much worse.

Fox News not only offers generally supportive coverage of Trump, but has also built a strong connection with its audience. This has allowed the network to consistently lead in ratings since 2002.

Fox News hosts consistently reflect what their audience believes and focus on the topics viewers care about most, which keeps people watching. This strong viewer base has brought in many new advertisers recently, and some of these advertisers are even using patriotic themes in their ads.

“Fox is an incredibly well-oiled machine,” Klein said.

According to Klein, CNN and other established news outlets should prioritize building a strong online presence to ensure their survival as fewer people watch traditional TV, rather than trying to appear unbiased.

Trying to please Donald Trump by giving him more favorable media coverage is a dangerous path. Even after Paramount appointed someone to address concerns at CBS News and hired an outside consultant – steps taken to get approval for its merger with Skydance Media – Trump continues to criticize any coverage he disagrees with.

Following a “60 Minutes” interview on December 7th where Representative Marjorie Taylor Greene criticized Donald Trump, the former president stated that the show has declined in quality since being taken over by new owners.

So far, the most notable effort to appeal to conservative viewers since Weiss took over is a prime-time interview with the wife of the late right-wing activist Charlie Kirk, which will be broadcast on Saturday.

According to a former CNN executive, the common belief is that if they can avoid being acquired by Paramount, a wealthy donor will step in and save them.

If Netflix were to acquire Warner Bros. Discovery without CNN, there’s still a risk the CNN network, if sold separately, could end up owned by someone who supports Donald Trump. While many employees might prefer someone like Laurene Powell Jobs, who chairs the Atlantic, a wealthy conservative could easily end up buying it instead.

CNN Chairman Mark Thompson is urging employees to remain positive despite recent changes and uncertainty. In a recent message to staff, he acknowledged the ongoing review and the sale of Warner Bros. Discovery (WBD) has created some anxiety. While he doesn’t expect the media attention to disappear immediately, Thompson believes CNN still has a clear path to a successful future.

Over time, Donald Trump’s frustration with CNN has grown increasingly personal. He’s publicly criticized their reporters and, according to sources, has expressed a desire to see anchors Erin Burnett and Brianna Keilar lose their jobs.

Interestingly, it was actually a news report by Burnett that gave Trump the footage for what turned out to be his most impactful ad of the 2024 election.

During a 2020 interview with Kamala Harris, Burnett discussed her position on healthcare for incarcerated individuals, specifically regarding gender-affirming care, where Harris voiced her support. A portion of this interview was then featured in a political ad that stated, “Kamala’s for they/them, President Trump is for you.”

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2025-12-13 14:32