by Nahlah Abdur-Rahman
February 22, 2026
Trump has warned Netflix against firing Rice as the streamer is currently competing for a merger with Warner Brothers.
Donald Trump isn’t afraid to take federal action against Netflix if Netflix refuses to cut ties with Susan Rice.
The president has warned Netflix against firing the former US ambassador to the United Nations, who is currently a board member of the streaming giant. Rice has been a member of Netflix’s board since 2018. Rice served as President Obama’s national security adviser and UN ambassador, as well as domestic policy adviser to President Biden.
After learning of Rice’s criticism, Trump immediately tried to use his presidential influence over her employer. Trump then took to his apparently favorite social media platform, Truth Social, to warn Netflix about axing “racist” Rice.
“Netflix should fire racist Trump-crazy Susan Rice IMMEDIATELY or face the consequences,” he wrote in the Feb. 21 post, as reported by the Hollywood Reporter.
While it is unknown whether Netflix will comply with the president’s demands, the matter comes as Netflix seeks to merge Warner Brothers, which requires government approval. Although Trump initially chose to stay out of the merger talks, his latest claim may have referred to his involvement in stopping or moving forward with the merger.
His current fixation on Rice’s firing stems from her new comments about the impact of his presidency. Rice recently appeared on a February 19 episode of the Stay Tuned with Preet podcast. She spoke about those who chose to “go down on their knees” to please the president, albeit with tepid results.
“Those who have decided to act in their supposedly very narrow self-interest, which I would underline as very short-term self-interest, and kneel before Trump, I think are now starting to realize, ‘Wait a minute, that’s not popular. Trump is not popular,'” she told podcast host Preet Bahara.
In response to her claim, he noted that her own reign of influence lags far behind that of the black politician. During her decades-long career in politics, Rice held various roles under three presidents, including the Clinton, Obama and Biden administrations.
Despite her long list of accolades, Trump has continued to disparage her legacy while questioning her value to the streamer.
Trump added: “She has no talent or skills – a pure political hack! HER POWER IS GONE AND WILL NEVER BACK. How much is she being paid and for what?”
The current smears also reinforce Trump’s pattern of seemingly racially motivated attacks on black women. Trump has particularly sought to undermine the ability of black women politicians to challenge his authority, with Rice becoming the latest object of his ire.
RELATED CONTENT: Susan Rice calls Trump the GOP’s “surrender monkey.”