Sen. Bernie Sanders (I‑Vt.) sharply criticized Paramount Skydance’s $108 billion hostile bid for Warner Bros. Discovery in a post on X, saying President Donald Trump’s family ties to investors backing the offer illustrated a troubling drift toward “authoritarianism.”
Sanders warned that further consolidation of U.S. media ownership would concentrate power in the hands of a few wealthy individuals and foreign funds. He singled out Jared Kushner — whose private equity firm Affinity Partners has been reported to be backing the offer — along with investors from Saudi Arabia, Qatar and the United Arab Emirates.
“A handful of giant corporations already control much of the media,” Sanders wrote. “Trump wants to make it worse. He vows to be involved in allowing his billionaire allies, his son‑in‑law, and the Saudis, Qataris and Emirates to buy Warner Bros. That’s authoritarianism. Not democracy.”
Paramount Skydance announced a $108 billion hostile bid for Warner Bros. Discovery earlier in the week. Subsequent reporting indicated that Affinity Partners, Jared Kushner’s private equity firm, is providing backing for the bid. David Ellison, who leads Paramount Skydance, has reportedly taken control of CBS News and is said to be eyeing CNN as a further acquisition; his father, Oracle founder Larry Ellison, is known to be a close ally of the Trump administration.
Axios noted that Affinity Partners and participating sovereign wealth funds from Saudi Arabia, Abu Dhabi and Qatar were not named in Paramount’s initial press release about the offer. The Paramount bid arrives as Netflix was in exclusive talks to buy Warner Bros. Discovery for roughly $83 billion — a deal reported to exclude CNN and leave the network independent.
Why It Matters
Observers say the reported combination of billionaire ownership, political family involvement and foreign sovereign backing intensifies concerns over media consolidation, editorial independence and potential conflicts of interest. Supporters argue this is a business transaction, but critics — including Sanders — contend the stakes are democratic oversight and public trust in the press.
