Trump on Paramount-WBD Merger: 'Glad They Let It Go'

Reported by TheWrap: President Donald Trump said Tuesday he is happy about the newly completed merger of Paramount and Warner Bros. Discovery, calling it a "great company" and a "great merger."

Trump made the comments to reporters at the White House after learning the deal had officially closed. The $110 billion merger created Skydance, a combined media giant led by David Ellison.

"I'm glad they let it go," Trump said, according to TheWrap.

The transaction had already cleared a key regulatory hurdle in June, when the Justice Department ruled it was unlikely to harm competition. A separate lawsuit from 12 Democratic state attorneys general was later settled, and a federal judge approved the settlement on Sept. 30.

That settlement created an editorial independence board meant to protect the journalism of CNN and CBS News. On Tuesday, Ellison held a companywide town hall where he said he believes deeply in journalism and called CNN and CBS News "a vital part of our democracy." He also said he supported CNN's legal challenge against the Trump administration's decision to bar CNN, MSNBC and Politico from White House access.

The merger's political backdrop was hard to ignore. Earlier this year, Ellison hosted a private Washington dinner attended by Trump while the transaction was still awaiting federal approval. Trump spoke at the event, which also included CBS News executives and senior administration officials.

• David Ellison
• Donald Trump
• merger
• Paramount+
• Skydance
• Warner Bros. Discovery