US President Donald Trump has said that CNN should be sold as its parent company, Warner Bros. Discovery, faces competing acquisition bids.
"I think CNN should be sold, because I think the people that are running CNN right now are either corrupt or incompetent," he told journalists on Wednesday.
Trump also said CNN should be sold “along with everything else,” adding: "I don't think they should be entrusted with running CNN any longer. So I think any deal should — it should be guaranteed and certain that CNN is part of it or sold separately."
The US president has repeatedly criticised the network, accusing it of biased coverage and calling it “fake news.”
Competition for Warner Bros. Discovery has intensified in recent weeks.
Netflix announced last week that it reached an agreement to acquire Warner Bros., including its film and television studios, HBO and the HBO Max streaming platform, in a deal worth $72 billion in equity value and $82.7 billion in total company value.
Paramount later submitted a counteroffer to buy all Warner Bros. Discovery shares for $30 per share in cash, valuing the company at $108.4 billion in enterprise terms.
The offer covers all business segments, including Global Networks, and provides around $18 billion more in cash to shareholders than Netflix’s bid.
