Paramount may have won the battle for Warner Bros. Discovery, but President Donald Trump continues to bet on Netflix’s financial stability.
As Paramount sought to distance Warner Bros. from the streaming giant, Trump was adding more Netflix bonds to his personal portfolio, financial disclosures released by the White House on Wednesday showed.
Disclosures show that President Trump purchased between $600,000 and $1.25 million of Netflix debt in January, on top of the $500,000 to $1 million in Netflix bonds he purchased in December, shortly after Warners’ massive Netflix deal was announced.
The Netflix purchases were just two of dozens of purchases and sales unveiled by the president on Wednesday. Trump signed the order on February 26, but the purchases were made on January 2 and 20.
Note: While the December revelation also showed Trump receiving bonds from Warner Bros. Discovery, the new disclosure does not include any debts to WBD. However, it does show bond purchases from SiriusXM, which also range in value from $600,000 to $1.25 million.
Trump also acquired municipal and corporate bonds from companies such as General Motors, Occidental, Boeing, and Corewave, among many others. His last full-year financial disclosure, which covered 2024, shows that he also owned a modest (five-figure) amount of Netflix stock.
says a White House official Hollywood Reporter The President’s investments are intended to replicate established indices, and that “neither President Trump nor any member of his family has any ability to direct, influence, or provide input regarding how the portfolio is invested or when investments are purchased or sold. All investment decisions are made entirely by independent directors.”
However, the acquisition of Netflix’s debt amid the Warners battle adds a layer of intrigue to the whole thing, especially since the Netflix deal collapsed while CEO Ted Sarandos was in Washington, D.C., on a White House visit. According to Axios, Sarandos’ meeting with Trump and Chief of Staff Susie Wales was canceled at the last minute due to a last-minute scheduling conflict.
Netflix later chose not to raise its bid for Warners, effectively ending its pursuit of the company. Axios reported that Trump and Sarandos communicated by phone later that evening, after Netflix made the decision to back out of the deal.
Of course, Netflix walked away from the deal with a $2.8 billion breakup fee and an investment-grade credit rating (unlike both Warners and Paramount).
However, Trump has an ongoing financial relationship with Warner Bros.
Trump’s latest financial disclosure for the full year included a payment from Warners totaling $333.31. It was a residual check on the cameo appearance he made in the 2002 romantic comedy Two weeks noticeand sitcoms Suddenly Susan and The Fresh Prince of Bel Air.
