US: AT&T-Time Warner deal ‘not good for the country,’ Trump says

President Donald Trump reiterated his distaste for the AT&T-Time Warner merger a day after the Justice Department announced it was suing to block the US$85 billion deal.

“I’m not going to get involved in litigation, but personally I’ve always felt that was a deal that’s not good for the country,” Trump said, speaking to reporters outside the White House on Tuesday, November 21. “Your pricing is going to go up. I don’t think it’s a good deal for the country. But I’m not going to get involved. It is litigation.”

The comment is likely to fuel concerns of a connection between Trump’s opinion of Time Warner’s CNN, whose coverage he frequently blasts as “fake news,” and the actions of the Justice Department, which argued in its lawsuit that the merger would “greatly harm American consumers.”

According to the department, the deal would lead to higher bills for customers if AT&T raises prices on companies that want to carry Time Warner channels, like CNN and HBO. Those other distribution companies would then most likely pass on the higher costs to consumers, the lawsuit suggests.

Full Content: Wall Street Journal

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