ISTANBUL

US President Donald Trump said Wednesday that he does not plan to get involved in the dispute between Netflix and Paramount Skydance over the acquisition of Warner Bros. Discovery.

The remarks mark a shift from his comments late last year, when he hinted that he might personally step in on a deal that could significantly reshape the media industry, according to NBC News.

“I haven’t been involved,” Trump said in an exclusive interview.

“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.”

"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,” he said.

“They're beating the hell out of each other, and there’ll be a winner," he added.

In December, Netflix announced plans to buy Warner Bros. Discovery’s movie studio, along with HBO and the HBO Max streaming service, in a deal valued at $72 billion.

At the same time, Paramount Skydance submitted a rival bid to acquire Warner Bros. Discovery, including its cable television networks.

Paramount Skydance is led by David Ellison, whose father, Larry Ellison, is a billionaire, co-founder of Oracle, and a well-known supporter of Trump.

The Ellison family controls Paramount, and Trump has long maintained a close relationship with Larry Ellison—an association that has drawn scrutiny as competition over Warner Bros. Discovery has intensified.

After Warner Bros. Discovery turned down Paramount’s offers and chose Netflix’s bid instead, Paramount Skydance responded by launching a hostile takeover attempt.

In response, Netflix changed its offer to an all-cash deal, a move widely seen as an effort to block Paramount’s challenge.

Later in December, Trump publicly questioned whether the Netflix–Warner Bros. Discovery deal would receive regulatory approval, warning it could lead to excessive concentration in the media market.

"They have a very big market share,” Trump said at the time.

“When they have Warner Bros., that share goes up a lot.” he added.

Noting that he would consult economists, Trump had said: “I’ll be involved in that decision.”