President Donald Trump demanded Netflix fire board member Susan Rice, citing her comments on a podcast. Rice, a former UN ambassador, serves on Netflix’s board. Trump made the demand via a post on his social media platform, Truth Social, threatening consequences if the company does not comply. The demand follows Rice’s appearance on the “Stay Tuned with Preet” podcast.
Susan Rice joined Netflix’s board of directors in 2018. Her career includes service as a United Nations ambassador and roles within both the Obama and Biden administrations. During her podcast appearance, she discussed corporate behavior regarding political figures. Rice predicted that corporations that “take a knee” to former President Trump would face accountability should Democrats regain power. She stated, “If these corporations think that the Democrats, when they come back in power, are going to, you know, play by the old rules, and […] say, ‘Oh, never mind. We’ll forgive you for all the people you fired, all the policies and principles you’ve violated, all, you know, the laws you’ve skirted,’ I think they’ve got another thing coming.”
Trump responded on Truth Social with a direct demand for Rice’s termination. His post stated, “Netflix should fire racist, Trump Deranged Susan Rice, IMMEDIATELY, or pay the consequences. She’s got no talent or skills – Purely a political hack! HER POWER IS GONE, AND WILL NEVER BE BACK. How much is she being paid, and for what???” The post did not specify the nature of the consequences mentioned. Trump’s reaction was immediate following the release of Rice’s comments regarding corporate accountability.
The social media post included a screenshot from far-right activist Laura Loomer. Loomer criticized Rice and discussed a potential business arrangement involving Netflix and Warner Bros. Loomer claimed, “The Netflix-Warner Bros. merger would result in a streaming monopoly, which the Obamas will have a significant stake in.” This claim references the existing production company Higher Ground, which is owned by Barack and Michelle Obama and has a deal with Netflix. The potential merger is currently pending review by federal regulators.
Netflix’s acquisition of Warner Bros. assets requires approval from federal regulators before proceeding. The scale of the deal involves significant market share considerations. Netflix co-CEO Ted Sarandos reportedly met with Trump before the acquisition was publicly announced. Following the meeting, Trump described Netflix as a “great company” but added, “it’s a lot of market share, so we’ll have to see what happens.” Regulatory scrutiny is a standard part of such large-scale corporate mergers.
This is not the first time Trump has demanded the dismissal of a corporate executive targeted by Laura Loomer. Last fall, Trump published a similar post demanding Microsoft fire its president of global affairs, Lisa Monaco. Monaco was also the subject of criticism by Loomer. Despite the public demand from Trump, Lisa Monaco remains employed at Microsoft. Netflix has not publicly commented on Trump’s demand regarding Susan Rice at the time of the report.
