Netflix (NFLX) co-chief executive Ted Sarandos is expected to attend a meeting at the White House on Thursday, according to a Wednesday report by Politico, citing sources, amid the heated battle for the assets of Warner Bros. Discovery (WBD) against rival bidder Paramount (PSKY).
Shares of Netflix are up more than 6% in late afternoon trading.
The report, citing sources, said the top agenda for the meeting, besides discussing the impact of the proposed $82.7B deal, is President Donald Trump’s demand that Netflix fire board member Susan Rice, a former Biden administration adviser.
It wasn’t immediately clear if Sarandos would meet Trump, a source told Politico.
The news of the meeting comes after Rice recently appeared on a podcast, where she said Democrats should not “forgive or forget” companies that “bent the knee” to Trump if they regain power.
Trump’s remarks on Rice followed criticism from conservative activist Laura Loomer, who argued that Rice’s presence at Netflix should prompt Trump to oppose the company’s pending deal with Warner Bros.
“Netflix should fire racist, Trump Deranged Susan Rice, IMMEDIATELY, or pay the consequences,” Trump wrote Saturday on Truth Social, referring to Rice as a “political hack.”
“This is a business deal. It’s not a political deal,” Sarandos said Monday during a podcast with the BBC on Trump’s comments. “This deal is run by the Department of Justice in the U.S. and regulators throughout Europe and around the world.”
Earlier this month, Sarandos testified before the Senate with Bruce Campbell, the revenue chief and strategy officer at Warner Bros., to address the antitrust concerns of the deal.