Donald Trump called on Netflix to fire one of its board members, Susan Rice, the former U.S. ambassador to the United Nations and national security adviser, following comments she made about accountability when Democrats return to power.
Trump posted on Truth Social on Saturday, “Netflix should fire racist, Trump Deranged Susan Rice, IMMEDIATELY, or pay the consequences. She’s got no talent or skills – Purely a political hack! HER POWER IS GONE, AND WILL NEVER BE BACK. How much is she being paid, and for what??? Thank you for your attention to this matter. President DJT”
A Netflix spokesperson did not immediately return a request for comment.
This week, Rice appeared on Preet Bharara’s podcast and said that, for corporate interests, law firms and media, “it is not going to end well for them. For those that decided that they would act in their perceived very narrow self interest, which I would underscore as very short-term self-interest, and take a knee to Trump, I think they are now starting to realize, ‘wait a minute, this is not popular. Trump is not popular.”
She said that “there is likely to be a swing in the other direction, and they are going to be caught with more than their pants down. They are going to be held accountable by those who come in opposition to Trump and win at the ballot box.”
She said that “if these corporations think that Democrats, when the come back in power, are going to play by the old rules, and say, ‘Never mind, we will forgive you for all the people you fired and all the policies and priciples you violated, all the laws you skirted, I think they got another thing coming.”
Referring to Democrats, she said “We are not going to play by the old set of rules when thse guys are playing by a different set of rules. We are going to play by the law. We are not going to violate the law like they did. But we are not going to be suckers.”
Trump linked to a post from Laura Loomer, who has for months lashed out at Netflix along with other MAGA influencers against Netflix’s proposed acquisition of Warner Bros., citing in part the streaming giant’s ties to Barack Obama.
Trump told NBC News earlier this month that he would not be involved in deciding whether his administration will give regulatory approval to a Netflix-Warner Bros. deal or a competing bid from Paramount for all of Warner Bros. Discovery. But he previously said he would be involved, despite a long political norm of president’s keeping an arm’s length from the Justice Department.
Trump has publicly offered praise for Ted Sarandos, the Netflix co-CEO, after meeting with him multiple times, including a White House visit in November.
Sarandos appeared before the Senate Judiciary antitrust subcommittee at a hearing earlier this month, where he was pressed on the competitive impact on the transaction. But several Republicans on the committee pressed Sarandos on culture war issues, including content featuring transgender individuals, even though the DOJ is reviewing the merger for any antitrust issues.
Paramount, meanwhile, has ties to Trump that include his longtime friend and investor, Larry Ellison, the founder of the company’s CEO, David Ellison. Paramount’s chief legal officer, Makan Delrahim, led the DOJ antitrust division during Trump’s first term.
Rice’s point — that Democrats will hold companies accountable if they regain power — was underscored this week when a group of senators fired off a letter to David Ellison, asking him to preserve documents after he declined to answer questions about Paramount’s dealings with Trump.
