White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt blasted CNN after reporter Kaitlan Collins pressed her on the voter concerns with the U.S. economy and said her line of questioning shows changes are needed at the cable news network.
“I think the president’s comments on CNN and new leadership is evidenced by my exchange with a CNN reporter in this room,” Leavitt said.
President Trump on Wednesday told reporters CNN should be sold as its parent company, Warner Bros. Discovery, prepares to spin off both its moviemaking and streaming assets as well as its linear broadcast channels in the coming months.
Warner Bros. Discovery last week announced a deal with Netflix for the streamer to acquire its sprawling movie and TV business, an agreement that came just days before Paramount mounted a hostile bid to buy all of the company’s assets including CNN and TNT Sports.
“It’s imperative that CNN be sold,” Trump said. “I think CNN should be sold, because I think the people running CNN right now are either corrupt or incompetent.”
The president’s comments come as he has expressed support for Paramount, which is controlled by David Ellison and his father, Larry Ellison, a Trump ally, who have reportedly told him they would implement significant editorial changes at the network if they were to win control of Warner Bros. Discovery.
Trump and his allies have warred with CNN for years, with the president recently attacking Collins, one of its top journalists, personally on his Truth Social website.
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“Their ratings have gone down and their viewership has declined,” Leavitt said from the West Wing podium Thursday. “With respect to this deal, he has great respect for both companies who are bidding against one another, and I won’t weigh in any further than that.”
