‘If They Are Friends, I’d Hate to See My Enemies!’: Trump Unloads on the Ellisons in Warner Bros. Deal Drama

President Donald Trump went after David Ellison and Larry Ellison this week, even though he has often said they were his friends. His comments were posted on Truth Social and were aimed at CBS News and its show “60 Minutes,” which airs on the CBS network owned by Paramount.

Trump said people should stop thinking he has a good relationship with the new owners of CBS. In his post on Tuesday, he complained that the news program has treated him worse since Paramount was taken over by Skydance Media.

He wrote, “For those people that think I am close with the new owners of CBS, please understand that 60 Minutes has treated me far worse since the so-called ‘takeover,’ than they have ever treated me before.” He ended the post by adding, “If they are friends, I’d hate to see my enemies!” The post was shared directly by Trump on Truth Social.

The tension comes at a time when David Ellison is making aggressive moves in Hollywood. After Skydance Media completed its purchase of Paramount Global in August, Ellison turned his focus to Warner Bros. Discovery. Over several months, he raised his offer multiple times in an effort to buy the entire company.

His bid started at $19 per share in mid-September and later climbed to $30 per share by early December, according to people familiar with the offers.

Things escalated after Warner Bros. Discovery agreed to sell its studios and HBO Max to Netflix in a massive $82.7 billion deal. Just days later, on Dec. 8, Ellison announced that Skydance would take its offer directly to Warner Bros. Discovery shareholders, bypassing management. The company’s board is now formally reviewing Paramount’s offer.

Trump has unusually stepped into the government review process for the Warner Bros. deal. He has claimed he would be involved in examining the Netflix agreement, even though such reviews are usually handled by federal agencies without direct presidential input.

Last week, Trump was asked during a White House briefing how he felt about Paramount’s competing bid for Warner Bros. Discovery.

He said, “I don’t know enough about it,” and explained that he needed to look at how the deals would affect market share for Netflix and Paramount Skydance. He also added, “I mean, none of them are particularly great friends of mine. You know, I want to do what’s right.” These comments were made during a public exchange with reporters at the White House.

Reporters also asked whether the involvement of Affinity Partners, the investment firm run by Trump’s son-in-law Jared Kushner, would influence his view of the deal. Trump responded by saying, “I’ve never spoken with him” about Paramount’s bid.

The situation is notable because Trump has previously bragged about his relationship with both David and Larry Ellison. Larry Ellison, the founder of Oracle, is one of the richest people in the world, with an estimated net worth of around $240 billion. Trump has even pushed Paramount in the past to move forward with projects he personally likes, including a proposed “Rush Hour 4” movie.

Trump’s latest outburst appears to have been sparked by a recent “60 Minutes” interview that aired on Dec. 7. The episode featured Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene of Georgia, a former Trump ally who has recently criticized him. A day later, Trump complained again on Truth Social, saying that since the Ellisons took control of Paramount, “60 Minutes has actually gotten WORSE!”

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