📺 CNN in the Crosshairs: Could the Trumps Really Become Anderson Cooper’s Bosses?

In the fast-moving media landscape of December 2025, a billion-dollar bidding war for Warner Bros.¹ Discovery (WBD) has turned into a high-stakes political drama.² At the center of the storm is CNN, the network President Donald Trump has famously feuded with for a decade.³

As WBD looks to sell its assets, a deal is taking shape that could fundamentally alter the future of the 45-year-old news organization—and put Anderson Cooper in the crosshairs of a very different kind of management.

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🏛️ The Bidding War: Paramount vs. Netflix

Warner Bros. Discovery, the parent company of CNN, HBO, and Max, has become the subject of an aggressive tug-of-war between two giants.⁴ How CNN fits into these deals is where the politics get complicated:

Bidder	The Plan for CNN	The Trump Connection
Netflix	Likely spin off or sell CNN separately to a third party.	Netflix has not expressed interest in owning a linear news network, leaving CNN's future ownership a question mark.
Paramount	Acquire the entire company, including CNN, and merge its operations with CBS News.	Paramount is led by David Ellison, son of Larry Ellison (a major Trump ally). Crucially, Jared Kushner’s firm, Affinity Partners, is reportedly an investor in this bid.

🔍 The "Trump Family" Connection

The headline-grabbing possibility that "the Trump family" could become Anderson Cooper’s boss stems from the Paramount Skydance bid.

• The Jared Kushner Factor: Reports from mid-December 2025 reveal that Jared Kushner, the President's son-in-law, is a backer of the Paramount bid through his private equity firm, Affinity Partners.⁵ If Paramount wins, Kushner—and by extension, the Trump family interests—would have a significant financial stake in CNN's parent company.⁶

• The Presidential Mandate: In a highly unusual move for a sitting president, Donald Trump has publicly demanded that CNN be sold as part of the WBD deal.⁷ On December 10, 2025, Trump told business leaders at the White House, "I think CNN should be sold...⁸ I don't think the people running that company right now... should be allowed to continue."

• The "MAGA-Friendly" Vision: According to the Wall Street Journal, Larry Ellison has reportedly discussed "sweeping changes" for CNN with the White House, aiming to pivot the network's tone toward a more conservative, "Fox News-style" approach.⁹

🎙️ The Future of Anderson Cooper

Amidst this corporate and political chaos, Anderson Cooper has made a definitive move to secure his ground.¹⁰

• The Contract Extension: On December 8, 2025, it was confirmed that Cooper signed a major multi-year contract extension with CNN.¹¹ This move reinforces his role as the network’s central figure just as it faces a potential change in ownership.¹²

• The "Hostile" Atmosphere: If a Trump-allied group like Paramount takes control, industry insiders expect a massive shakeup.¹³ Reports have already surfaced suggesting that new management might look to fire hosts who have been vocally critical of the President—a list that would likely include Cooper, Jake Tapper, and Abby Phillip.¹⁴

• The Precedent at CBS: Since David Ellison took over Paramount, there has already been a shift toward "anti-woke" or more conservative journalism, notably with the appointment of Bari Weiss as editor-in-chief of CBS News and the sudden cancellation of The Late Show with Stephen Colbert (effective May 2026).¹⁵

⚖️ The Conflict of Interest

The potential sale has triggered a firestorm of ethical and legal concerns. Typically, media mergers are reviewed by the Department of Justice (DOJ) based on antitrust laws.¹⁶ However, President Trump has stated he will be "personally involved" in approving the deal.

Critics argue that a president using the power of the federal government to force a news organization into the hands of family members or political allies is an unprecedented breach of democratic norms. For CNN, the stakes couldn't be higher: it is a battle for the network's soul, caught between its legacy as a global news leader and a potential future as a pro-administration platform.