Strictly speaking, describing Donald Trump as a proponent of capitalism is a drastic oversimplification. It’s far more accurate to say the president embraces an economic model rooted in Trumpism.
Rejecting the Republican Party’s traditional free market orthodoxy, Trumpism is an economic philosophy that closely resembles state-run capitalism. In this model, Trump wants to personally influence what private companies charge, their profit margins, the salaries of their executives and, in some cases, how large a stake the government can and should take in their business.
And the president’s ambition to play “micromanager in chief” extends to personnel matters, too.
In August, the Republican publicly urged Intel to fire its CEO. In September, he published a rather hysterical statement pressing Microsoft to fire its president of global affairs, Lisa Monaco, who served as a deputy attorney general during the Biden administration.
On Saturday, Trump kept this trend going with a new call published to his social media platform:
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
Rice is currently a member of Netflix’s board of directors. She recently captured the attention of some far-right influencers, including Laura Loomer, for telling former U.S. Attorney Preet Bharara on his podcast that Democrats shouldn’t “forgive or forget” those corporations that “bent the knee” to the president.
At first blush, it might be tempting to shrug off Trump’s latest harangue as the latest in a series of absurdities, but there’s a bit more to this one.
First, it’s notable that the only people on the planet whom Trump considers “racists” are Black people, and that most of his targets are women. Indeed, it’s quite a coincidence.
Rice, who served as U.S. ambassador to the United Nations and held leading posts in the Obama and Biden White Houses, can take comfort in knowing she joins a small club that includes, among others, New York Attorney General Letitia James and Fulton County District Attorney Fani Willis.
Second, Trump’s offensive is happening amidst Netflix’s effort to acquire Warner Bros. Discovery, even as Paramount pursues a rival bid. And ultimately, any deal is going to need regulatory approval from the administration.
In other words, when the president threatened Netflix with “consequences,” it wasn’t just posturing or hollow rhetoric. On the contrary, given the president’s control over federal agencies, Netflix and its lawyers know full well that if he decides to derail their Warner Bros. deal, he is in a position to do so. That Paramount is now controlled by a political ally of the White House adds a complicating factor.
None of the relevant companies commented on Trump’s rant. Watch this space.
