Trump Says He ‘Won’t Be Involved’ in DOJ’s Netflix-WB Discovery Review

President Donald Trump says he will not be personally involved in the Justice Department’s pending antitrust review of Netflix‘s proposed acquisition of Warner Bros. Discovery.

Trump told NBC News anchor Tom Llamas that he made the decision to leave the process to the Justice Department during a pre-recorded interview that will air Sunday in advance of NBC and Peacock’s telecast of the Super Bowl. In December, days after Netflix and WBD sealed an $83 billion merger agreement, Trump told reporters “I’ll be involved in that decision.”

But this week, Trump told Llamas that he’s changed his mind, even though he’s been contacted by “both sides” in the transaction.

“I haven’t been involved,” Trump told the “NBC Nightly News” anchor in a clip aired by NBC News as a preview for the full sit-down set to run before the big game on Sunday. The pre-Super Bowl presidential interview with an anchor from the host network has been a tradition on the NFL’s big day since President George W. Bush first did so in 2004.

“I must say, I guess I’m considered to be a very strong president. I’ve been called by both sides. It’s the two sides, but I’ve decided I shouldn’t be involved. The Justice Department will handle it,” Trump said, per an NBC News transcript.

Trump acknowledged that Netflix’s proposed deal to acquire Warner Bros. is complex and the antitrust concerns about its long-term impact on the streaming TV marketplace are significant. He also nodded to the ongoing skirmish between Netflix and Paramount Skydance as the latter keeps up its campaign to snare WBD away from Netflix.

“There’s a theory that one of the companies is too big and it shouldn’t be allowed to do it, and the other company is saying something else,” he said. “They’re beating the hell out of each other — and there’ll be a winner.”