Paramount Rejects Critical Trump Ad

If you didn’t think that CBS’s parent company was in bed with Donald Trump, you might want to hear what the Freedom of the Press Foundation is claiming.

The orginization says that Paramount+ rejected a 30-second advocacy advertisement calling attention to President Donald Trump’s pattern of meddling in media transactions to extract favorable editorial coverage.

The organization had purchased airtime to run the ad on the streaming platform during Sunday's highly anticipated UFC Freedom 250 event. The broadcast, which aired live on June 14 from the White House South Lawn, doubled as a celebration for President Trump’s 80th birthday and functioned as a massive promotional vehicle for his administration. FPF was informed by a Paramount advertising representative on Friday afternoon—just 48 hours before the fights—that the creative was rejected due to a “conflict of interest.”

The rejected commercial explicitly warns the American public about the pending $111 billion mega-merger between Paramount Skydance and Warner Bros. Discovery. The deal, which received Department of Justice clearance on Friday, would place major news and entertainment assets—including CNN and HBO—under the direct control of David Ellison and his father, billionaire Oracle founder and longtime Trump associate Larry Ellison.

The ad highlights growing concerns over press freedom, featuring public declarations from Trump’s Secretary of Defense, Pete Hegseth, who stated, “the sooner the Ellisons take over that network [CNN], the better.” It also incorporates accusations from recently ousted 60 Minutes correspondent Scott Pelley, who alleged that CBS leadership demanded his reporting include "falsehoods and bias" to appease the president.

“David Ellison has already shown his cards on editorial independence, but in case there was any doubt, his company has now declined to air a straightforward message about what his proposed takeover of CNN, HBO, and other outlets would mean for press freedom,” said Seth Stern, Chief of Advocacy at FPF. “Ellison won’t air criticism of himself, his company, or his buddy Trump. That’s bad for press freedom, bad for the public, and bad for Paramount—just look at CBS’ recent struggles under Ellison’s watch. Billionaires who don’t respect the First Amendment should stay out of the news business.”

You can watch the ad below.