A Senate hearing on Netflix’s Warner Bros. merger shifted from antitrust and competition to partisan attacks over “woke” content and media influence.

Trump said Netflix and Paramount are “beating the hell out of each other” in the Warner acquisition fight, “and there’ll be a winner.”

Regulators are already concerned that a Netflix-Warner Bros. deal could raise significant antitrust issues.

Trump said in December he would have a say on whether the proposed merger between Netflix and Warner Bros should go forward, telling reporters that the market share of a combined entity could raise concerns.

Josh Hawley (R-MO) launched into a completely different line of questioning: “Why is it that so much of Netflix content for children promotes a transgender ideology?” Hawley asked, making an unsubstantiated claim that “almost half” of the platform’s children’s content contains so-called “transgender ideology.

Netflix's acquisition of Warner Bros. Discovery might be a good thing for consumers.

EXCLUSIVE: Ted Sarandos’ testimony tomorrow in front of a pivotal Senate subcommittee looks to be strewn with MAGA landmines that are intended to blow up Netflix’s path to buying most of Warner Bros.

In his written testimony, Sarandos highlighted YouTube’s dominance in the market. He noted that within the streaming sector specifically, Netflix currently commands a 19% share of U.S. viewership, a figure that would climb to approximately 20% following the Warner Bros. acquisition.