ADVERTISEMENT

Trump Called Murdoch to Congratulate Him on Disney Fox Deal

Trump Called Murdoch to Congratulate Him on Disney Fox Deal

(Bloomberg) -- President Donald Trump called Rupert Murdoch on Thursday and congratulated him ahead of a deal for Walt Disney Co. to buy some of the entertainment assets of 21st Century Fox Inc., White House Press Secretary Sarah Sanders said.

“I know that the president spoke with Rupert Murdoch earlier today, congratulated him on the deal,” Sanders said. Trump thinks “that this could be a great thing for jobs.”

Disney Chief Executive Officer Bob Iger, when asked about possible job cuts in an interview Thursday on Bloomberg TV, acknowledged that he will be looking at areas where the two companies overlap.

“There are synergies, and we will take a look at the overlap between businesses that are similar and look for efficiencies there,” Iger said.

Vanity Fair reported earlier that Trump phoned Murdoch to make sure Fox News wasn’t part of the deal, citing a person briefed on the call.

To contact the reporter on this story: Shannon Pettypiece in New York at spettypiece@bloomberg.net.

To contact the editors responsible for this story: Alex Wayne at awayne3@bloomberg.net, Joshua Gallu

©2017 Bloomberg L.P.