Netflix CEO Claps Back at Trump’s Demand to Fire Board Member Susan Rice
Netflix CEO Ted Sarandos is not backing down after President Trump unleashed a social media tirade demanding the streaming giant fire board member Susan Rice “IMMEDIATELY, or pay the consequences.” In a calm and cutting appearance on the BBC’s Today program, Sarandos made one thing crystal clear: this is a business deal, not a political one, and Trump’s tantrums will not be dictating corporate decisions.
When host Amol Rajan pressed Sarandos directly about Trump’s threats, the CEO coolly brushed them aside. “This is a business deal. It’s not a political deal. This deal is run by the Department of Justice in the U.S. and regulators throughout Europe and around the world,” he said. When Rajan noted how strange it was for a sitting president to be meddling in corporate affairs this way, Sarandos delivered a perfectly understated burn: “Yeah, he likes to do a lot of things on social media.”
Trump’s original post on Truth Social was vintage unhinged, reading: “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.” The outburst came after far-right agitator Laura Loomer targeted Rice on X, upset over comments Rice made suggesting Democrats should hold accountable the corporations that “bent the knee” to Trump.
The attack is widely seen as more than just personal. Trump has reportedly been pushing for MAGA ally David Ellison’s Paramount to beat out Netflix in the bidding war for Warner Bros. Discovery. Netflix has proposed an $82.7 billion takeover of the Warner library, while Paramount launched a rival $108.4 billion hostile bid. The DOJ is currently reviewing the Netflix deal, giving Trump’s threats a particularly sinister edge given his pattern of using federal agencies as political weapons.
Susan Rice, a former U.S. Ambassador to the United Nations and director of Biden’s Domestic Policy Council, rejoined Netflix’s board in 2023 and sits on its nominating and governance committee. Her only apparent crime, as far as Trump is concerned, is existing and refusing to be silent.
Sarandos, for his part, isn’t flinching. He defended the deal as a growth opportunity for the entertainment industry and made clear that Netflix is moving forward on its own terms regardless of what the president posts online at 3am.
Trump tried to bully one of the most powerful media companies in the world into firing a distinguished Black woman from its board. The CEO laughed it off on international television. That’s the story.