President Donald Trump stated in a social media post on Saturday that Netflix must “pay the consequences” if it does not fire Susan Rice. Rice has served on Netflix’s board of directors since 2018.
Trump’s comments came after Rice appeared on the “Stay Tuned with Preet” podcast. During the interview, the former ambassador to the United Nations predicted that corporations which “take a knee” to Trump will be “held accountable” when Democrats return to power. Rice suggested that corporations should not expect forgiveness for actions taken to appease the former president.
In response, Trump posted on his Truth Social network demanding Netflix fire “racist, Trump Deranged Susan Rice, IMMEDIATELY, or pay the consequences.” He criticized her as having “no talent or skills” and called her a “political hack.” His post included a screenshot from far-right activist Laura Loomer, which criticized Rice’s comments and raised concerns about a potential Netflix-Warner Bros. merger. Loomer claimed the merger would create a streaming monopoly and noted the Obamas’ production company, Higher Ground, has a deal with Netflix.
While Trump did not specify what the consequences would be, Netflix’s planned acquisition of Warner Bros. will require approval from federal regulators. Netflix co-CEO Ted Sarandos reportedly met with Trump before the deal was announced. Trump previously commented that Netflix is a “great company” but noted the deal represents “a lot of market share,” indicating regulatory scrutiny was possible.
This is not the first time Trump has publicly called for a corporate executive to be fired. Last fall, he demanded Microsoft fire its president of global affairs, Lisa Monaco, who was also criticized by Laura Loomer. Monaco remains in her position at Microsoft.