Susan Rice, a Netflix board member since 2018, has drawn criticism from President Donald Trump after comments she made on a podcast suggested corporations that aligned with him would face accountability when Democrats regain power.
Rice, who has served as a United Nations ambassador and held roles in the Obama and Biden administrations, appeared on Preet Bharara’s “Stay Tuned with Preet” podcast. During the episode, she stated that corporations aligning with Trump would face accountability when Democrats regain power, saying, “If these corporations think that the Democrats, when they come back in power, are going to, you know, play by the old rules, and […] say, ‘Oh, never mind. We’ll forgive you for all the people you fired, all the policies and principles you’ve violated, all, you know, the laws you’ve skirted,’ I think they’ve got another thing coming.”
Trump responded on Truth Social, writing, “Netflix should fire racist, Trump Deranged Susan Rice, IMMEDIATELY, or pay the consequences. She’s got no talent or skills – Purely a political hack! HER POWER IS GONE, AND WILL NEVER BE BACK. How much is she being paid, and for what???” Trump’s post included a screenshot from far-right activist Laura Loomer, who criticized Rice and claimed, “The Netflix-Warner Bros. merger would result in a streaming monopoly, which the Obamas will have a significant stake in.”
The claim references Netflix’s production deal with the Obamas’ company, Higher Ground. Netflix’s pending acquisition of Warner Bros. assets requires approval from federal regulators. Notably, Netflix co-CEO Ted Sarandos reportedly met with Trump before the merger was announced. Following the meeting, Trump stated Netflix is a “great company” but added, “it’s a lot of market share, so we’ll have to see what happens.”
This is not the first time Trump has demanded the removal of someone from their position. Last fall, he made a similar demand regarding Microsoft president of global affairs Lisa Monaco, who was also targeted by Loomer. Monaco remains in her position at Microsoft.
