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How Trump is trying to remake American culture -- starting with his favorite buddy-cop franchise
https://www.semafor.com/article/11/23/2025/how-trump-is-trying-to-remake-american-culture-starting-with-rush-hourPresident Donald Trump has strong views about news media and an interest in asserting them; he’s long claimed credit for ending the careers of journalists and comedians. CNN staff now worry that if their company is sold to Paramount, his friend Larry Ellison may fire two of the network’s most prominent women: Erin Burnett and Brianna Keilar.
Somewhat less attention, however, has been paid to the ways in which Trump wants to shape popular culture outside news and late night comedy. The onetime wannabe Broadway producer brought his particular style of late 20th century over-the-top macho taste to political events, elevating professional wrestling to the Republican National Convention and inviting the 1980s icons Sylvester Stallone and Mike Tyson to the White House.
Entertainment studios have thrown the Trumps the occasional bone — Amazon paid $40 million for Brett Ratner’s documentary about Melania Trump, a presumably soft-focus project on the life of the fairly private first lady. But beyond his on-again-off-again relationship with the Murdochs, Trump’s preferences have largely been ignored by the entertainment industry titans who made him a household name. He has been forced to deliver his cultural preferences through online rants about celebrities and programming for political events and at the White House, where he commandeered the presidential aux cord.
But now Larry Ellison, one of Trump’s most prominent financial supporters, owns a second-tier studio, Paramount, and is on the cusp of taking control of the great Warner legacy, with the giant library and sprawling production that come with it.
Somewhat less attention, however, has been paid to the ways in which Trump wants to shape popular culture outside news and late night comedy. The onetime wannabe Broadway producer brought his particular style of late 20th century over-the-top macho taste to political events, elevating professional wrestling to the Republican National Convention and inviting the 1980s icons Sylvester Stallone and Mike Tyson to the White House.
Entertainment studios have thrown the Trumps the occasional bone — Amazon paid $40 million for Brett Ratner’s documentary about Melania Trump, a presumably soft-focus project on the life of the fairly private first lady. But beyond his on-again-off-again relationship with the Murdochs, Trump’s preferences have largely been ignored by the entertainment industry titans who made him a household name. He has been forced to deliver his cultural preferences through online rants about celebrities and programming for political events and at the White House, where he commandeered the presidential aux cord.
But now Larry Ellison, one of Trump’s most prominent financial supporters, owns a second-tier studio, Paramount, and is on the cusp of taking control of the great Warner legacy, with the giant library and sprawling production that come with it.
A person directly familiar with the conversations tells Semafor that Donald Trump has personally pressed Larry Ellison to revive Brett Ratner's "Rush Hour" franchise.
— Semafor (@semafor.com) 2025-11-24T02:13:14.154Z
www.semafor.com/article/11/2...
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