In the battle for Warner Bros. Discovery, a deal sure to face regulatory hurdles, media companies are turning to Donald Trump’s orbit for support.
Former Trump campaign aide Jason Miller, who was reportedly courted by Netflix and Paramount, is advising an investor supporting Paramount’s bid. Trump’s son-in-law, Jared Kushner, has also planted his flag behind Paramount’s David Ellison through private equity firm Affinity Partners, while 2024 co-campaign manager Chris LaCivita has been hired by Warner Bros. Discovery.
Meanwhile, once-described “Trump whisperer” Brian Ballard’s firm Ballard Partners, which has become one of Washington’s go-to firms for clients to appeal to the president’s interest, has represented both Netflix and Paramount this year.
In tapping into Trump’s orbit, WBD, Netflix, and Paramount presumably hope to get an edge in making their cases to the president, who has said he’ll be involved in the decision over acquiring WBD. Trump has spoken favorably about Ellison and Netflix CEO Ted Sarandos, though signaled Monday he hadn’t picked a side, asserting that neither Netflix nor Paramount were “particularly good friends of mine.”
Miller, LaCivita, Affinity Partners and Ballard Partners did not respond to immediate requests for comment. Paramount, Netflix and WBD also did not respond to immediate requests for comment. The White House did not respond to an immediate request for comment on the companies’ efforts.
Ellison has framed his pursuit of Warner Bros. Discovery as standing the best chance at getting regulatory approval, a belief rooted in his family’s close relationship to the president and his aides.
Oracle co-founder Larry Ellison, David Ellison’s father, is a friend and Trump campaign donor, and both men have reportedly promised the White House they would make changes to one of WBD’s marquee assets: CNN, the cable news network that has often served as a thorn in Trump’s side. On Wednesday, Trump said “it’s imperative that CNN be sold.”
Kusher is linked to Paramount through Affinity Partners, the private equity firm he founded in 2021. While it’s unclear how much of Paramount’s $108 billion bid is being contributed by Affinity Partners, Kushner’s involvement alone underscores the ties between the Ellisons and the Trump family.
Politico reported on Monday that Miller, a SHW Partners principal and former Trump campaign spokesperson, has been advising an investor who wants Paramount to succeed. Since then, Miller has repeatedly promoted Paramount’s endeavor to his more than 600,000 X followers, at one point posting an arm-flexing emoji upon the news of the company’s hostile takeover bid.
Warner Bros. Discovery also appears to be trying to get in Trump’s good graces. The David Zaslav-led company has brought on LaCivita, who co-led Trump’s 2024 campaign, as consultant to help navigate the Netflix deal’s complexities, according to Politico. LaCivita helped propel Trump to victory despite a torrent of legal challenges, and Trump invited LaCivita speak during his victory speech.
Both Paramount and Netflix have also hired Ballard Partners in 2025, according to federal disclosure forms. A person familiar with the matter told TheWrap Netflix will continue working with the firm during the transaction process.
Netflix has sought to appeal directly to the president himself. Sarandos has met with Trump twice since Netflix began its pursuit of WBD’s studio and streaming businesses, and Trump told reporters on Sunday at the Kennedy Center Honors in Washington, D.C., that he had “a lot of respect for him.”
“He is a great person,” Trump said of Sarandos. Still, the president later sat with David Ellison during the Sunday event, and the following day, Ellison acknowledged he’s “had great conversations with the president.”
