For Media CEOs in the News Business, Trump Turns M&A Dreams Into a Quid Pro Quo

Days after President Donald Trump's victory in the 2024 presidential election, Warner Bros. Discovery CEO David Zaslav expressed enthusiasm about a new administration potentially creating greater "opportunity for consolidation" that would "provide a real positive and accelerated impact on this industry that's needed." Zaslav did add that it's "too early to tell" whether those hopes would materialize, but he missed a more significant disclaimer: that merger-and-acquisition dreams can quickly become nightmares if your news organization angers the president. WBD, as the owner of . . .