President Donald Trump just agreed to an interview with Jake Tapper on CNN ahead of a Paramount merger.
On Sunday the POTUS spoke with Tapper by phone on “State of the Union” in the wake of U.S. Sen. Lindsey Graham’s sudden death at 71 on Saturday.
During their conversation, Trump, 80, shared his thoughts on the news — but when Tapper, 57, tried to discuss other topics, the POTUS pushed back.
“Well, I know you don’t want to talk about any other issues out of respect for Lindsey Graham, but we would love to have you back some time, because I do have a lot of other questions for you, sir,” Tapper said toward the end of the call.
“Sure,” Trump answered. “We will do that.”
TAPPER: I know you don’t want to talk about any other issues out of respect for Lindsey Graham, but we would love to have you back sometime, because I do have a lot of other questions for you TRUMP: Sure. We’re trying to have CNN go on a normal path TAPPER: Well I’m on a normal… pic.twitter.com/QALOqHMQIe
— Aaron Rupar (@atrupar) July 12, 2026
“We’re trying to have CNN go on a normal path,” the president added. “And we will do that.”
To that, Tapper replied, “Well, I’m on a normal path right here, sir. And I appreciate your time.”
In June, the Department of Justice approved Paramount Skydance’s acquisition of Warner Bros. Discovery. The deal is expected to close by the end of the third quarter. If it doesn’t do so by Sept. 30, WBD will receive a 25-cents-per-share “ticking fee” for each quarter until the deal closes. And if it doesn’t close at all for regulatory reasons, Paramount will pay WBD a $7 billion termination fee.
Folks at CNN have expressed concern over the Paramount merger due to Paramount Skydance CEO David Ellison’s amicable relationship with Trump and the shake-up following Bari Weiss taking over as editor-in-chief at CBS News, also owned by Paramount Skydance.
As of writing, it is unclear when Trump will appear on CNN for his interview with Tapper.
The post Trump Says He’ll Let Jake Tapper Interview Him to ‘Have CNN Go in a Normal Path’ Ahead of Paramount Merger appeared first on TheWrap.
