Trump Secret Meetings to Take Over Media Revealed

Summary

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Legal AF by MeidasTouch

Episode: Trump Secret Meetings to Take Over Media Revealed

Date: February 19, 2026

Main Theme & Purpose

In this hard-hitting legal analysis, host Michael Popok (filling in solo for Ben Meiselas and Karen Friedman Agnifilo) exposes a series of secret meetings and behind-the-scenes maneuvers by Donald Trump to help his allies acquire CNN and its parent company, Warner Brothers Discovery. Popok details how Trump, after promising not to interfere, apparently conspired with David Ellison (son of billionaire Larry Ellison) to ensure media assets end up in “MAGA friendly” hands—possibly by firing the Justice Department official who could have blocked the deal. The episode pulls back the curtain on Trump’s media manipulation, the battle between corporate giants (Paramount/Ellison vs. Netflix), and the wider implications for press freedom and democracy.

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Key Discussion Points & Insights

1. Secret Meetings and Trump’s Media Ambitions

• Background: Trump previously claimed he would not meddle in media acquisition attempts involving his friends, but new reporting shows he is directly advising David Ellison as the latter tries to acquire Warner Brothers Discovery (including CNN).
• Manipulation of Regulators: Trump controls government regulators, including the Department of Justice’s Antitrust Division.
  • Popok alleges that to “grease the skids” for the Ellison bid, Trump fired Abigail Slater, the head of the Antitrust Division and the “one person who would have been the safety valve against this transaction.”
  • [03:20] "What did Donald Trump do to grease the skids to put CNN in the hands of a buddy of his to make it MAGA friendly? He fired the head of the antitrust division, Abigail Slater." — Michael Popok
• Corporate Game: Netflix submitted a higher bid for Warner Brothers Discovery but wanted CNN excluded. Trump’s favored bidder, Paramount (Ellison family), wants the whole company—including CNN—thus putting major news media at risk of pro-Trump control.

2. Breakdown of the Media Takeover Battle

• The Players:
  • Netflix: Offered ~$30/share for Warner Brothers Discovery, excluding CNN.
  • Paramount/Ellison Family: Came forward to buy the entire company—including CNN—which is what Donald Trump wants.
• Trump’s Public Comments:
  • Trump publicly questioned the legality of Netflix’s move, citing “big market share”—an antitrust issue.
  • [06:35] "'They have a very big market share. And when they have Warner Brothers, you know, that share goes up a lot. ... That's for some economists to tell. And also. And I'll be involved in that decision, too.'" — Donald Trump
• Trump’s "Withdrawal" from the Process (Allegedly):
  • Trump announced, perhaps disingenuously, that he would stay out of the merger process and leave it to the Justice Department.
  • [07:50] "'I've decided I shouldn't be involved. The Justice Department will handle it.'" — Donald Trump
  • Popok immediately highlights the contradiction: after this "withdrawal," Trump fired Abigail Slater—removing obstacles for the Ellison/Paramount bid.
• Popok Connects the Dots:
  • Trump is "barely behind the scenes, manipulating the process to get CNN in the hands of his friends."
  • Shareholder resistance to Paramount's deal is significant: only 2% approved the offer—evidence that market desire doesn’t align with Trump’s wishes.

3. Broader Implications for Press Freedom & Democratic Accountability

• Significance of Controlling CNN:
  • Trump’s history includes attempts to manipulate or threaten other media outlets (Washington Post, CBS, ABC, etc.) via regulatory pressure or public attacks.
• Popok’s Key Insight:
  • This series of events demonstrates an “open for business” White House, where political influence is exploited to secure favorable media coverage.
  • [12:00] "This White House is completely open for business. ... This is Donald Trump, barely behind the scenes, manipulating the process to get CNN in the hands of his friends, period." — Michael Popok
• Rise of Independent News:
  • Popok discusses surveys showing more people now get their news from YouTube newscasters than from traditional broadcast networks—a trend Trump cannot control.
  • [11:00] "Donald Trump wants to grab as much of corporate media that he can control because he can't control us. He can't control YouTube. He can't control the independent commentary and journalism that is the Midas Touch brand and is the Legal AF brand, Period. End of story." — Michael Popok

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Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

• Trump on Antitrust and Involvement:
  • [06:35] “That's a question. They have a very big market share. And when they have Warner Brothers, you know, that share goes up a lot. ... I'll be involved in that decision, too.” — Donald Trump
• Trump on Hands-Off Approach:
  • [07:50] “I've decided I shouldn't be involved. The Justice Department will handle it.” — Donald Trump
• Popok on White House Manipulation:
  • [12:00] “This White House is completely open for business. ... This is Donald Trump, barely behind the scenes, manipulating the process to get CNN in the hands of his friends, period.”
• Popok on Independent Journalism:
  • [11:00] “Donald Trump wants to grab as much of corporate media that he can control because he can't control us. He can't control YouTube. He can't control the independent commentary and journalism that is the Midas Touch brand and is the Legal AF brand, Period. End of story.”

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Important Timestamps

| Timestamp | Segment | |-----------|------------------------------------------------------------------------------| | 02:16 | Michael Popok introduces the episode’s breaking story on Trump’s secret media meetings and the firing of Abigail Slater. | | 03:20 | Explanation of Trump’s grudge against mainstream outlets and his aims for CNN. | | 06:35 | Trump’s on-tape comments about the Warner Brothers/Netflix merger’s antitrust issues. | | 07:50 | Trump insists he won’t get involved in the merger—contradicted by subsequent actions. | | 11:00 | Popok breaks down the rise of YouTube news and Trump’s inability to control it. | | 12:00 | Popok summarizes Trump’s orchestration to “get CNN in the hands of his friends." |

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Conclusion

• Bottom Line:
  Michael Popok lays out a clear, detailed, and legally-informed case that Donald Trump is actively seeking to reshape American media by ensuring major news networks, particularly CNN, are controlled by MAGA-friendly owners. He spotlights the manipulation of government regulators and connects it to wider risks for press freedom and democracy.
• Call to Action:
  Popok encourages listeners to stay informed through Legal AF’s independent, non-corporate channels—and highlights that, despite Trump's efforts, independent voices remain beyond his reach.

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[End of Summary]

Transcript

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Included with prime after telling the American people that he was gonna stay out of it. Related to his friends trying to acquire CNN and its parent company, Warner Brothers Discovery. Donald Trump has been secretly meeting with David Ellison, the Nepo baby son of the Ellison family who owns Oracle, to try to not only advise on how to acquire CNN and Warner Brothers in their fight against Netflix, who wants to acquire the same assets, but is also, of course, in control of the major governmental regulator at the Department of Justice and what did Donald Trump do to grease the skids to put CNN in the hands of a buddy of his to make it MAGA friendly? He fired the head of the antitrust division, Abigail Slater. I'm Michael Popo. Let's talk about secret meetings. Let's talk about the firing of the one person who would have been the safety valve against this transaction. And now the new reporting today that, oh, lo behold, Warner Brothers is back in discussions with Donald Trump's favorite acquirer, the Ellison family, and is starting to turn its back against Netflix that put in the better offer. I'm Michael Popak. You're on Legal, AF and Midas Touch Network. Let's get down to this news story on this holiday Monday. All right. From the perspective of media properties that are in play, CNN had always been considered at one point a crown jewel of the media empire. And Donald Trump has wanted to get CNN over to the right, right wing to join Fox, CBS, 60 Minutes, the Washington Post, ABC and everybody else that he's abused. He's used a combination of working behind the scenes, putting his big fat thumb on the scale, manipulating the regulators that he controls and then finding ways to have these transactions happen. We see Donald Trump, the dealmaker, right? He's already has American taxpayer dollars invested in half a dozen companies. Yes. You and I own a stake in half a dozen companies in the raw rare earth minerals business, in steel, in semiconductors, computer chips, et cetera. Now, Donald Trump also is trying to get media to be pro Trump. He's abused the Washington Post, I mean, willingly. Bezos owns it. And Bezos is Busy giving Melania $40 million for a documentary nobody wants to watch and then fires half of his newsroom almost in the same week. Now let's turn to Warner Brothers. Warner Brothers Discovery owns a lot of space on your cable box or however you get your content, including cnn. Now, Netflix came forward first to try to acquire and put together a superior bid at about $30 a share, saying they would take the Hollywood studio, the movie studio of Warner Brothers and the streaming service, but they wouldn't take CNN and allow Warner Brothers to sell CNN separately. That was for $30 a share. Then came forward Paramount, run by the Ellison family, friends of Donald Trump, to acquire the entirety of Warner Brothers Discovery, including cnn. That's the one that Donald Trump wants. In fact, when he was asked Trump during, I think a Lincoln during a Kennedy center event, I refuse to call it the other name, he was asked about the acquisition. And while he praised Netflix as being a really great company, he starts talking about market share, which, which is a monopoly antitrust concept that a company can't acquire too many other of its competitors or it would be bad, not for Donald Trump, but usually bad for consumers. That's something that's regulated by the antitrust department of the Department of Justice, which at that moment, when Donald Trump said this next thing was headed by Abigail Slater for the last 10 or 11 months. Play the clip of Donald Trump. Should they be allowed to buy Warner Brothers should?

[Donald Trump]

Well, that's a question. They have a very big market share. And when they have Warner Brothers, you know, that chair goes up a lot. So I don't know. That's going to be for some economists to tell. And also. And I'll be involved in that decision, too. They have a very big market share.

[Caller/Customer]

Did he make any guarantees to you.

[Donald Trump]

About the merger if they do merge? No, no. He came up. He was in the Oval Office last week. I have a lot of respect for him. He's a great. He's a great person. But he's done one of the greatest jobs in the history of movies and other things. He's. He's got a lot of interesting things happening aside from what you're talking about. But it is a big market share. There's no question about it.

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Could be a problem that led to a firestorm of protests. So Donald Trump decided to do it another way. Right. He's been guiding as an advisor David Ellison, who's been meeting regularly in the last week with Donald Trump himself. Then he announced Trump that he's going to get out of the business of being involved with the Warner Brothers deal. Does anybody believe this? Play the clip. You are close with the Ellisons, who are trying to stop a merger between Warner Brothers Discovery and Netflix. This deal could change the makeup of the media as we know it. Are you personally gonna get involved in that deal?

[Donald Trump]

I haven't been involved, I must say. I guess I'm considered to be a very strong president. I've been called by both sides. It's the two sides, but I've decided I shouldn't be involved. The Justice Department will handle it.

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[Donald Trump]

Going to make a decision. I mean, there's a theory that one of the companies is too big and it shouldn't be allowed to do it. And the other company is saying something else about, you know, they're not, but.

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[Donald Trump]

You'Re out of each other and there'll be a winner.

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