David Ellison, the billionaire Skydance founder now actively trying to acquire CBS parent company Paramount, was spotted sitting in the company of Donald Trump ringside at the UFC fight in Miami this weekend, TheWrap has confirmed.
And hours later, Trump was ratcheting up his battle against CBS News and its parent company in a Truth Social post over the latest episode of “60 Minutes,” this time due to their Sunday stories about Ukraine and Greenland. Last year, Trump sparked off a $20 billion legal battle with CBS and “60 Minutes” for editing Kamala Harris’ answers to interview questions.
Trump wrote Sunday: “Almost every week, ’60 Minutes,’ which is being sued for Billions of Dollars for the fraud they committed in the 2024 Presidential Election with their Interview of Failed Presidential Candidate Kamala Harris, mentions the name ‘TRUMP’ in a derogatory and defamatory way, but this Weekend’s ‘BROADCAST tops them all.”
Ellison was photographed in a close circle around Trump the night before, apparently a guest of TKO chief Ari Emanuel, who, like Ellison, is Jewish and skipped the Passover celebration to be there. He socialized with the president’s inner circle that night, Oliver Darcy first reported in his Status newsletter.
Ellison was spotted alongside Elon Musk, Ted Cruz, Robert F. Kennedy Jr. and others, with photos posted on Reddit and X. TheWrap has confirmed the details from Darcy’s report.
Trump and his special son enjoying a wholesome Saturday night! pic.twitter.com/FyLKGLkhrP
— Autism Capital
(@AutismCapital) April 13, 2025
“The optics of the moment were unmistakable,” Darcy wrote. “The prospective new owner of CBS News — an outlet Trump has repeatedly smeared with dishonest attacks — was smiling and having a great time alongside the very man calling for it to be punished. Given that Ellison’s Skydance deal requires federal approval … the encounter alone has a deeper significance as the merger hangs in limbo.”
Ellison’s offer to buy Paramount from the controlling interest of Shari Redstone has seen its timeline extended due to FCC delays. If it went through, Trump’s lawsuit and pressure on his FCC chair Brendan Carr to punish CBS would represent a major inherited headache.
“Which is perhaps why Ellison was in Miami for the fight,” Darcy wrote. “Maybe he hoped to get a few words in with Trump, flatter him, and build some rapport with the erratic president — something an unsettling number of media and tech executives now view as a prerequisite for doing business in America.”
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