MAGA influencers tore into Netflix’s purchase of Warner Bros. Discovery’s studio and streaming businesses this week — all over the streamer’s connection to Democrats.
Right-wing activist Jack Posobiec has repeatedly highlighted Netflix’s production deal with former President Barack Obama and First Lady Michelle Obama’s company Higher Ground, along with former Obama adviser Susan Rice’s seat on Netflix’s board of directors, as evidence the streamer seeks to turn children gay upon its purchase of the WBD assets. Elsewhere, streamer Benny Johnson said the deal would mean “Barack and Michelle Obama and the Democrat super-donors that run Netflix will now own a monopoly on children’s entertainment,” while Laura Loomer, one of Trump’s premier MAGA enforcers, claimed on her blog the deal would lay the groundwork for Michelle to run for president in 2028.
The chorus of right-wing fury, as first noted by the Washington Post, highlights the divisive nature of the expensive media merger that goes beyond anger among Hollywood and media personalities. While WBD’s other bidder, the Ellison-run Paramount, has developed strong connections to President Donald Trump and his administration, Netflix co-CEO Ted Sarandos has openly campaigned for Democrats.
This also reflects the uncertainty about which way Trump will lean as his administration considers the antitrust concerns over each WBD bid. Trump told reporters on Monday the two bidders were “not particularly good friends of mine,” and he reportedly wants to see Netflix and Paramount compete with each other. Still, he told reporters on Sunday, he would “be involved” in the federal review of the merger.
Posobiec has shared multiple X posts reflecting the Obamas’ ties to Netflix, which began in 2018 upon the incorporation of Higher Ground Productions. (The Obamas reupped their deal in 2024.) One post simply read, “Obama Netflix,” 12 times, while another tried to tie Susan Rice joining the Joe Biden administration as a sign that Netflix was tied to Democrats. (Rice left the board once she temporarily joined the Biden administration before her reappointment in 2023.)
Johnson claimed that Netflix’s ties to the Obamas meant, if it purchased WBD, it would execute an agenda that would “rewrite the scripts, reboot the heroes, and algorithm-push trans ideology, race guilt, and anti-family messaging straight into your living room.”
Loomer has led the drumbeat of highlighting the company’s connections to Democrats since last month, warning Netflix wanted to make CNN “Obama-centric.” The streamer did not bid or seek out WBD’s cable assets, which are currently set to be spun off into a standalone company.
Upon the deal’s announcement, Loomer took it a step further, reporting an “exclusive” that the deal paved the way for a Michelle Obama presidential run in 2028. The former first lady has repeatedly said she has no interest in the presidency, but Loomer claimed the deal showed the Obamas were expanding their grip on media with ties to everything from the crypto company FTX (due to a Netflix miniseries on it) to the Soros family (due to former Obama attorney general Eric Holder’s organization receiving money from it).
TheWrap has reached out to Netflix, Loomer, Johnson, Posobiec and the Obamas for further comment.
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