Trump Threatens Netflix With “Consequences” Unless It Fires Susan Rice From Its Board Immediately

The political firestorm between President Donald Trump and streaming giant Netflix erupted into full public view on Saturday, February 21, 2026, after Trump posted a blistering demand on Truth Social calling on the company to fire Susan Rice from its board of directors — or, in his words, “pay the consequences.” The Susan Rice Netflix confrontation is now one of the most explosive political-corporate clashes in recent American memory, and it carries enormous financial stakes given Netflix’s pending $100 billion acquisition of Warner Bros. Discovery.

Trump posted: “Netflix should fire racist, Trump Deranged Susan Rice, IMMEDIATELY, or pay the consequences. She’s got no talent or skills – Purely a political hack! HER POWER IS GONE, AND WILL NEVER BE BACK. How much is she being paid, and for what??? Thank you for your attention to this matter. President DJT.”

If you’ve been following this story, now is the time to pay attention — the next 48 hours could change everything for Netflix, its merger, and the future of political pressure on American corporations.

What Susan Rice Said That Started Everything

The spark that lit this fire came from a podcast appearance. Rice appeared on a podcast hosted by Preet Bharara, the former U.S. Attorney for the Southern District of New York who served in the Obama administration, and stated: “When it comes to the elites — the corporate interests, the law firms, the universities, the media… For those that decided that they would act in their perceived very narrow self-interest, which I would underscore is very short-term self-interest taking a knee to Trump… I think they’re now starting to realize, ‘Wait a minute, this is not popular.'”

Rice went further than simply pointing out corporate behavior. She warned that companies are “already starting to hear they better preserve their documents” and should “be ready for subpoenas.” X Rice’s argument was that businesses which aligned themselves with President Trump for short-term political advantage would face a Democratic accountability agenda if the party returns to power after the 2026 midterms or the 2028 presidential election.

Those remarks traveled fast. Conservative activist Laura Loomer amplified the comments across social media, writing that Rice was “basically openly saying that Democrats will go after anyone and everyone who supported President Trump, embracing weaponized lawfare against potentially millions of Americans.” Loomer also asked pointedly whether Netflix, as a corporation, stood behind its board member threatening half the country with what she characterized as political retribution.

Trump, who follows Loomer closely on social media, shared her post and added his own furious response — the now-viral Truth Social message demanding Rice’s immediate removal.

Why Netflix Is in an Incredibly Difficult Position

Netflix is not just any company in this fight. The streaming service is in the middle of seeking regulatory approval for a proposed $100 billion acquisition of Warner Bros. Discovery, a deal that would make it the single most dominant entertainment company in the world. If completed, Netflix would control Warner Bros. film and television libraries, CNN, HBO, and dozens of other major media properties.

That merger requires approval from the U.S. Department of Justice. And the Trump administration holds direct influence over how and when that review proceeds.

Trump told NBC News earlier this month that he would not be personally involved in deciding whether his administration would give regulatory approval to the Netflix-Warner Bros. deal. But he had previously said he would be involved, despite the long-standing political norm of presidents keeping an arm’s length from the Justice Department.

Netflix co-CEO Ted Sarandos appeared before the Senate Judiciary antitrust subcommittee earlier this month, where he faced questioning not only about the competitive impact of the transaction but also from several Republicans on the committee who pressed him on culture war issues, including content featuring transgender individuals — even though the DOJ is reviewing the merger strictly for antitrust concerns.

Trump has publicly praised Sarandos. He met with Sarandos multiple times, including a White House visit in November 2025, and has offered praise for the Netflix CEO in public. That relationship makes the current standoff uniquely tense. Sarandos and Netflix are being forced to navigate between standing by a board member they rehired just over two years ago and maintaining goodwill with a president whose administration could greenlight or delay a $100 billion deal.

As of Sunday, February 22, 2026, Netflix had not issued any public statement in response to Trump’s demand.

Susan Rice’s Decorated and Controversial Career

Understanding why this moment carries so much weight requires knowing who Susan Rice is and how she got here.

Rice is one of the most accomplished foreign policy figures of the past three decades. She served as U.S. Ambassador to the United Nations under President Obama, then as his National Security Advisor — making her the only person in American history to hold both roles under the same president. She later joined the Biden administration as Domestic Policy Advisor, where she oversaw White House initiatives on immigration reform, gun policy, and economic equity before stepping down in May 2023.

Rice previously served on Netflix’s board from 2018 until December 2020, when she announced her intention to step down and join the Biden administration. She rejoined the Netflix board in September 2023. Like all Netflix directors, Rice receives an annual retainer valued at $300,000.

Her career has never been far from controversy. Republicans have long criticized her for her role in the aftermath of the 2012 Benghazi attack, during which she publicly attributed the violence to a protest over an online video before the administration later described it as a pre-planned terrorist act. She has also faced scrutiny over intelligence-related decisions during the Obama years. None of that is new. What is new is that the president of the United States is now personally targeting her corporate board seat as a form of political leverage.

Republican Senators Pile On

Trump was not alone in his criticism. Senator Eric Schmitt of Missouri responded to the situation by writing: “The Left has unapologetically wielded power against corporate America for decades — it’s why Susan Rice is on Netflix’s Board (the same Netflix begging for approval of a merger). Their gravy train fell off the tracks. The NGO-DNC-S&P pipeline is drying up. We are over the target.”

Schmitt had already raised Rice’s board membership as an issue earlier in February when Netflix was making its case to the Senate for merger approval. He argued that a company claiming to be non-political while retaining Rice on its board — and simultaneously seeking a government-approved $100 billion acquisition — was a contradiction worth scrutinizing.

The political pile-on signals that this is not simply a one-day story driven by a single Truth Social post. Republican lawmakers have made Netflix’s corporate governance a deliberate talking point, and Rice’s podcast remarks gave them fresh ammunition at a strategically sensitive moment for the company.

The Bigger Picture: Corporate America Under Pressure From Both Sides

What makes the Susan Rice Netflix standoff so significant for the broader American business community is the impossible bind it illustrates. On one side, Rice argues that corporations bending to Trump’s political demands are making a short-term bet they will regret when the political wind shifts. On the other, Trump and his allies are making clear that companies perceived as politically hostile to his administration face real-world consequences — including slower regulatory approvals, congressional scrutiny, and presidential attacks that damage brand reputation.

This is not a new tension in American political life, but the 2026 version of it is playing out more openly and aggressively than at almost any point in recent history. The fact that a sitting president is publicly demanding a specific personnel decision from a private company’s board of directors represents an escalation that goes beyond ordinary political pressure.

Netflix, for its part, is a company that has shown it can survive political firestorms. When Rice first joined the board in 2018, there were calls for a conservative boycott of the service that ultimately produced no significant damage to the company’s subscriber numbers or stock price. But this situation is materially different. In 2018, Netflix was not seeking a $100 billion merger that required administration approval. Today it is.

The company’s silence as of Sunday morning is itself a choice — and it is a choice being watched very closely by every major corporation in America trying to figure out where the lines are.

What Happens Next

The immediate question is whether Netflix will respond publicly, privately, or not at all. A public statement defending Rice’s board seat would risk inflaming the president further at a critical merger moment. Removing her or asking her to step down would represent an extraordinary capitulation to direct presidential pressure — and would set a precedent with profound implications for corporate independence across America.

Rice, for her part, has shown no indication of backing down from the substance of what she said. Her remarks on the podcast were deliberate and measured, not off-the-cuff. She knew what she was saying and to whom she was saying it.

The DOJ’s antitrust review of the Netflix-Warner Bros. deal continues. No timeline for a decision has been made public. Every move Netflix makes in the coming days will be viewed through that lens.

This is one of the most consequential corporate-political showdowns of 2026 — sound off in the comments and tell us whether you think Netflix will stand firm or buckle under the pressure.