US Media Falling to Trump's Allies: A Slow Crumbling of Democracy
The US media landscape is undergoing a subtle yet ominous shift, with Donald Trump's allies quietly gaining control over key outlets. This is not the kind of takeover one would expect from a traditional coup d'etat, but rather a slow-burning process that erodes democratic norms and institutions.
At the forefront of this movement are billionaire Larry Ellison and his filmmaker son David, who have become instrumental in shaping the media narrative. Ellison's Oracle co-founded with Elon Musk, has poured tens of millions into Republican coffers, while also backing anti-woke crusader Bari Weiss as editor-in-chief of CBS News. The network's ownership shift was met with a Trump-appointed ombudsman to monitor "bias", and Weiss, who turned against progressive values, was appointed.
Meanwhile, Skydance Media acquired Paramount Global, bringing control over CBS News under the Ellisons' umbrella. This acquisition also extended control of CBS News beyond Hollywood, as Ellison's group took ownership of the network's broadcasting licence. The new entity has been touted by Trump as "going to do the right thing" with the network.
The stakes are high, with Trump officials now briefing that rival bidders for Warner Bros Discovery will face "regulatory hurdles". This suggests a willingness on the part of the administration to crack down on perceived left-wing bias across the mainstream media. Larry Ellison's group is also set to take over TikTok's US operations, with Rupert Murdoch and Abu Dhabi's government-owned investment company reportedly backing their bid.
The erosion of democratic institutions goes beyond media control, however. The Trump administration has deployed the national guard to Democratic strongholds, centralised control over elections, and launched new gerrymandering offensives. These moves have sparked fears of a widening divide between Republicans and Democrats, with Trump's former strategist Steve Bannon claiming there is a plan to circumvent the constitution to allow his former boss to take a third term.
The US media has always been flawed, with economic elites holding disproportionate influence over politics. However, some believed that this system could never succumb to tyranny due to its checks and balances. Unfortunately, such complacency has collided with brutal reality, as Trump's allies continue their subtle yet insidious assault on democratic norms.
With 39 months left in office, the fate of US democracy hangs precariously in the balance. The slow crumbling of institutions will only serve to further erode trust in the system, and unless urgent action is taken, it could be too late to prevent a catastrophic collapse.
The US media landscape is undergoing a subtle yet ominous shift, with Donald Trump's allies quietly gaining control over key outlets. This is not the kind of takeover one would expect from a traditional coup d'etat, but rather a slow-burning process that erodes democratic norms and institutions.
At the forefront of this movement are billionaire Larry Ellison and his filmmaker son David, who have become instrumental in shaping the media narrative. Ellison's Oracle co-founded with Elon Musk, has poured tens of millions into Republican coffers, while also backing anti-woke crusader Bari Weiss as editor-in-chief of CBS News. The network's ownership shift was met with a Trump-appointed ombudsman to monitor "bias", and Weiss, who turned against progressive values, was appointed.
Meanwhile, Skydance Media acquired Paramount Global, bringing control over CBS News under the Ellisons' umbrella. This acquisition also extended control of CBS News beyond Hollywood, as Ellison's group took ownership of the network's broadcasting licence. The new entity has been touted by Trump as "going to do the right thing" with the network.
The stakes are high, with Trump officials now briefing that rival bidders for Warner Bros Discovery will face "regulatory hurdles". This suggests a willingness on the part of the administration to crack down on perceived left-wing bias across the mainstream media. Larry Ellison's group is also set to take over TikTok's US operations, with Rupert Murdoch and Abu Dhabi's government-owned investment company reportedly backing their bid.
The erosion of democratic institutions goes beyond media control, however. The Trump administration has deployed the national guard to Democratic strongholds, centralised control over elections, and launched new gerrymandering offensives. These moves have sparked fears of a widening divide between Republicans and Democrats, with Trump's former strategist Steve Bannon claiming there is a plan to circumvent the constitution to allow his former boss to take a third term.
The US media has always been flawed, with economic elites holding disproportionate influence over politics. However, some believed that this system could never succumb to tyranny due to its checks and balances. Unfortunately, such complacency has collided with brutal reality, as Trump's allies continue their subtle yet insidious assault on democratic norms.
With 39 months left in office, the fate of US democracy hangs precariously in the balance. The slow crumbling of institutions will only serve to further erode trust in the system, and unless urgent action is taken, it could be too late to prevent a catastrophic collapse.
lmao who would've thought the media would fall into the hands of some billionaires with ties to trump? i mean dont get me wrong trump's got his own brand of crazy but this feels like something different...its not just about him its about a bunch of ppl with power and money trying to shape the narrative and control the flow of info. like whats next? are they gonna take over tiktok too?! 
anyway gotta wonder what other strings they're pulling from behind the scenes
meanwhile they're still spewing hate about progressive values lol like isn't that just a euphemism for "they don't agree with me" 
anyway guess we should be worried when billionaires start getting all the power 
and trumps former strategist is now talking about circumventing the constitution 
what's next, taking over our schools? 
and i stumbled upon this super cheesy picture of a cat wearing a tutu . anyway, speaking of media control, have you guys noticed how everyone's a "thought leader" now? it's like they're all trying to be influencers or something... i mean, what even is the point of having media outlets if they're just gonna spew out whatever their bosses tell them to say? 
and btw, david ellison's son is totally going to change the world with his filmmaking skills 
. It's like they're quietly gathering power under the radar. Trump's allies just keep getting more influence over media outlets and now it's like they own them. This is not good at all 
. What's even creepier is that they're trying to "regulate" rival bidders for Warner Bros Discovery. Sounds like they want to strangle free speech 
. We need to be super vigilant about this stuff 
i mean, what's going on with these rich people just taking over everything? larry ellison and elon musk, they're like the dynamic duo of trump's allies 
and what's with this "regulatory hurdles" thing? it sounds like they want to silence people who disagree with them 
the whole situation just feels so shady 
. He's got connections to Elon Musk, Bari Weiss, and even Rupert Murdoch... what's going on here? 
. The thought of a slow-burning takeover is terrifying me 
. We need to be vigilant and make sure we're not losing our democratic norms in the process 
.
. anyone who's been keeping up with the news knows that the media landscape has always been skewed towards the wealthy elite, but to think that it can be controlled so subtly is just mind-blowing 
. we need to stay vigilant and hold our leaders accountable or else we risk losing everything we thought democracy stood for 
this is wild 
especially with trump's admin trying to control everythin' 