President Donald Trump said in a social media post on Saturday that Netflix will “pay the consequences” if it does not fire Susan Rice, who has served on the company’s board of directors since 2018, after comments she made on a podcast about corporate responses to his administration.
Comments That Triggered The Post
Trump’s statement followed Rice’s appearance on the “Stay Tuned with Preet” podcast hosted by Preet Bharara. During the episode, Rice, a former U.S. ambassador to the United Nations who held advisory and diplomatic roles in the Obama and Biden administrations, said companies that “take a knee” to Trump would be “held accountable” if Democrats return to power.
“If these corporations think that the Democrats, when they come back in power, are going to, you know, play by the old rules, and […] say, ‘Oh, never mind. We’ll forgive you for all the people you fired, all the policies and principles you’ve violated, all, you know, the laws you’ve skirted,’ I think they’ve got another thing coming,” Rice said on the podcast.
Trump’s Response On Truth Social
In response, Trump wrote on his social network Truth Social that “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???”
The post did not specify what actions he meant by “the consequences.” It included a screenshot of a post from far-right activist Laura Loomer that criticized Rice’s remarks and claimed that a potential Netflix-Warner Bros. merger would create a streaming monopoly. The Loomer post said the Obamas would have a significant stake because of Netflix’s deal with the Obamas’ production company, Higher Ground.
Regulatory Context For Netflix
While Trump did not outline specific steps, Netflix’s planned acquisition of Warner Bros. would require approval from federal regulators. The company’s co-chief executive, Ted Sarandos, reportedly met with Trump before the deal was announced. After that meeting, Trump said Netflix is a “great company” but added that it represents “a lot of market share,” and said regulators would have to see what happens.
A Similar Past Demand
Trump made a comparable demand last fall when he posted that Microsoft should fire its president of global affairs, Lisa Monaco, who was also targeted by Loomer. Monaco remains in her position at Microsoft.
Featured image credits: Flickr
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