On February 22, 2026, President Trump posted on Truth Social demanding that Netflix “fire racist, Trump Deranged Susan Rice, IMMEDIATELY, or pay the consequences. She's got no talent or skills — Purely a political hack!” Rice, who served as Obama's National Security Adviser and Biden's domestic policy chief, had warned on Preet Bharara's podcast that corporations who “took a knee” to Republican pressure should not expect forgiveness from Democrats if they return to power.
The threat carries particular weight because the Department of Justice is actively conducting an antitrust review of Netflix's proposed acquisition of Warner Bros. — giving Trump direct regulatory leverage over the company. Just weeks earlier, on February 5, Trump had told NBC he “shouldn't be involved” in the Warner Bros. fight and would leave it to the DOJ. His Truth Social post openly contradicted that pledge, inserting himself into the process by threatening a company whose deal depends on his administration's approval.
Netflix co-CEO Ted Sarandos refused to fire Rice, telling the BBC that the acquisition is “a business deal, not a political deal” and that regulatory bodies, not the White House, should make the decision. Netflix's stock dropped after the refusal.
A president using the threat of regulatory retaliation to demand a private company fire a specific person for criticizing him is the definition of corruption. It weaponizes government power for personal vendettas and sends a chilling message to every corporation and individual: criticize Trump and his administration will use its regulatory authority against you.