Paramount Skydance executives hosted President Donald Trump and other top administration officials for a private dinner in the nation’s capital on Thursday — as the corporation awaits federal approval on a deal to acquire Warner Bros. Discovery, according to a new report.
Trump spoke to guests for almost an hour, as business titans and federal brass mingled at mixed tables inside the U.S. Institute of Peace, The New York Times reported, citing people informed of the exclusive gathering.
Among those in attendance were: Paramount CEO David Ellison, CBS News Editor-in-Chief Bari Weiss, Secretary of State Marco Rubio, Deputy White House Chief of Staff Stephen Miller and Acting Attorney General Todd Blanche.
The antitrust division within Blanche’s Justice Department is set to scrutinize the proposed $111 billion purchase of Warner Bros., which would hand CNN and other outlets to Ellison — who already controls CBS News. Warner Bros. shareholders signed off on the deal earlier this week, but it won’t be finalized until the government approves.
Such a summit between federal officials and corporate leaders — on the cusp of a titanic transaction — is considered rare, The NYT noted.
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Multiple unnamed CBS News reporters expressed shock at the dinner, fearing it may fuel perceptions of undue friendliness between the newsroom and the administration.
Critics argue this perception is already well-entrenched. Since Weiss became editor-in-chief last year, she’s faced accusations of tilting CBS News coverage to favor the administration. In early 2026, she spiked a “60 Minutes” segment on a brutal Salvadoran prison where the administration sent deported immigrants.
Weiss, the founder of The Free Press, has said her editorial decisions are hers alone and that she has not been influenced by Ellison of the administration.
Following the dinner, some Democrats were quick to express outrage.
“Ellison and the information oligarchs should enjoy it while they can because when Democrats win power we are going to break these anti-consumer, anti-free speech media conglomerates into pieces,” Connecticut Senator Chris Murphy wrote on X.
Representatives for Paramount and the White House did not immediately respond to requests for comment from The Independent.
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