President Donald Trump recently demanded Netflix fire Susan Rice from its board. “Netflix should fire racist, Trump Deranged Susan Rice, IMMEDIATELY, or pay the consequences,” the commander in chief wrote in a Truth Social post. “She’s got no talent or skills – Purely a political hack!”
Trump unleashed this fusillade against Rice in response to the former Obama official saying she wanted “accountability” for corporate interests that “bend the knee” to the president’s agenda. On a recent podcast, Rice threatened
If these corporations think that the Democrats, when they come back in power, are going to, you know, play by the old rules, and, you know, say, ‘Oh, never mind. We’ll forgive you for all the people you fired, all the policies and principles you’ve violated, all, you know, the laws you’ve skirted.’ I think they’ve got another thing coming.
Rice strongly implied a Democratic administration would use all its powers to punish these entities—and that creates a real headache for Netflix.
The streaming giant is currently trying to get its merger with Warner Bros. Discovery approved by the government. However, the proposed merger has faced staunch opposition from conservatives, who allege the company is too woke to acquire a larger share of the entertainment market. Netflix CEO Ted Sarandos insists that the merger is “not a political deal.” But Rice’s comments add further evidence that the company is political—and not favorable to conservatives.
The former national security advisor is just one example of Netflix’s commitment to liberalism, and of why conservatives are right to be suspicious of it gaining more power over what they watch.
Rice joined Netflix’s board in 2018, despite having no experience in the entertainment world. What she did have is a lengthy record of serving in Democratic administrations, extending all the way back to Bill Clinton’s tenure. But that experience is why Netflix hired her, according to a press release the company published eight years ago. “For decades, she has tackled difficult, complex global issues with intelligence, integrity and insight and we look forward to benefiting from her experience and wisdom,” it said.
Netflix was even generous enough to reserve her board spot for her when she went into the Biden administration. It was waiting for her as soon as she left the White House in 2023.
The streaming giant has a real thing for Obama alumni. That shouldn’t be a surprise, considering Sarandos and company co-founder Reed Hastings were both huge donors to the 44th president. Hastings is considered one of the Democratic Party’s biggest donors. His call for Biden to step aside in 2024 was noted by major media outlets. In that campaign, he gave $7 million to a Kamala Harris Super PAC. The political bias at top is no secret.
The company established a reputation for providing welfare for prominent Democrats. Besides Rice, Netflix signed a multiyear production deal with the Obamas. Like Rice, the 44th president and his wife had no entertainment experience. But Netflix still gave them an undisclosed amount (rumored to be for over $50 million) to make content for the streaming platform. It was very generous for Netflix to offer a golden parachute for the former president as he left the White House—something no Republican could ever expect to receive.
It would be one thing if Netflix just rewarded prominent Democrats with exorbitant production deals and plum board positions. The company could say it keeps itself non-partisan through its programming. But that’s not the case.
As plenty of Republicans have made clear, Netflix is one of the nation’s wokest entertainment companies. Republican senators Josh Hawley, Eric Schmitt, and Ted Cruz assailed Netflix at a hearing earlier this month over its LGBT children’s programming and deep commitment to DEI. At the hearing, Sarandos tried to argue that his company didn’t have a political agenda when it comes to its programming, claiming it features movies and shows from all across the political spectrum. GOP lawmakers made short work of that dubious assertion.
The Susan Rice matter is particularly bad for Netflix’s case to GOP lawmakers and the Trump admin. Here is a leader of the company relishing the prospect of weaponizing the federal government to go after anyone who followed the Trump administration’s directives on DEI and other matters. By not firing her, Netflix is essentially endorsing that position.
It’s also not a fringe opinion. It was endorsed by powerful Democratic operative Marc Elias in a column this week. The op-ed could win a gold medal in lack of self-awareness. Elias, like Rice, longs for a future where Democrats can punish companies and universities that worked with the Trump admin—while concluding that Netflix needs to stand up to Trump’s “despotic demand” to fire Rice. He advocates for Democrats doing far worse than what Trump called for, but still insists that he’s standing up for democracy and free expression.
“Trump’s attack on Rice is, in its own way, a gift,” he wrote. “It has given Netflix a clear and public opportunity to do what dozens of other institutions have declined to do: stand up, say no and demonstrate that not every pillar of civil society is too weak and too lacking in self-respect to face Trump’s threats with resolve.”
In reality, standing by Rice would signal that Netflix wants the left to embrace authoritarian governance when it gains power and thoroughly punish the right. At the same time, the company would still have the audacity to demand the Justice Department approve of its merger with Warner Bros. and accept its flimsy argument that it isn’t political at all.
If Netflix wants to prove it isn’t political, it should fire Rice for tarnishing its brand. If it doesn’t, that would vindicate conservative critics and their desire to block the Warner merger. Of course, one shouldn’t bet on Sarandos and Hastings doing the right thing. They’re too devoted to liberalism to undermine one of their own.
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