Paramount's David Ellison seeks to distance himself from partisan politics after courting Trump

Remember David Ellison's lukewarm narration pinch President Donald Trump?

The Paramount Skydance CEO seems to wish you wouldn't.

Ellison courted Trump arsenic he sought support from the Department of Justice for his Warner Bros. Discovery deal. Now, Ellison is facing a lawsuit from 12 Democratic states — and he's looking to region himself from partisan politics. The woody is connected hold arsenic it heads to trial.

"There has been speculation astir my politics, my loyalties, my intentions," Ellison wrote successful a New York Times opinion piece connected Tuesday that defended the deal.

Ellison said his authorities are "just for illustration astir Americans," pinch "some views that would beryllium called blimpish and others that would beryllium called liberal."

The Paramount CEO besides wrote that he has "regularly voted for candidates of some parties." His billionaire father, Larry Ellison, whose wealthiness backstopped the WBD deal, is simply a longtime Trump backer. Public records show that the younger Ellison donated complete $900,000 to a money supporting Joe Biden's 2024 statesmanlike campaign.

Trump said successful March that David and Larry Ellison are "two awesome people."

In the op-ed, Ellison downplayed concerns astir really the CBS News genitor would steward CNN if it took power of WBD.

The caller messaging contrasts pinch the Trump-friendly moves Ellison made successful caller months.

They included:

• Hosting a backstage meal "honoring the Trump White House," apical management officials, and CBS News correspondents, arsenic Status and The New York Times reported
• Joining Trump astatine aggregate UFC matches, including 1 connected the White House lawn, days aft his merger sewage approved by Trump's DOJ
• Attending Trump's State of the Union reside pinch the precocious Sen. Lindsey Graham, days earlier WBD accepted Paramount's merger proposal

Ellison besides took respective actions that critics opportunity were politically motivated, but Paramount has countered were purely for business reasons. They see installing anti-woke editor Bari Weiss arsenic the caput of CBS News and canceling the show of renowned Trump professional Stephen Colbert.

"When it comes to our news operations, I do not aspire to lead these companies to crook their newsrooms to my views," Ellison wrote successful his op-ed.

Paramount's CEO besides made the lawsuit for his WBD deal, arguing that the merger would thief it compete pinch tech giants for illustration Netflix, Amazon, and Apple, "whose resources dwarf ours."

The states suing to extremity Paramount's WBD acquisition person based on that it will limit title by giving the mixed institution too overmuch power complete the theatrical distribution of apical movies and complete the licensing of cablegram TV channels.

Ellison wrote that a Paramount-WBD would beryllium beardown capable to compete pinch tech giants but can't "dictate what audiences watch aliases what writers get paid."