Bernie Sanders Warns of “Authoritarian Takeover” of Media as Trump Allies Consolidate Power

In a blistering statement shared to his official X account this week, Senator Bernie Sanders issued a stark warning about what he called an “authoritarian takeover of American media,” pointing directly at President Donald Trump’s ongoing lawsuits against major news outlets and the growing concentration of media ownership among his billionaire allies.

Sanders’ post called attention to Trump’s recent legal actions targeting The New York Times, ABC News, and other outlets for what Trump alleges are “defamatory” or “false” reporting—moves that critics say are designed to intimidate journalists and chill independent press coverage. Sanders warned that these attacks, combined with the quiet consolidation of media power by billionaires sympathetic to Trump’s politics, represent “a grave and immediate threat to press freedom and democratic debate in America.”

The New Media Power Players

Sanders’ comments come amid a flurry of business headlines that seem to back up his concerns. Reports surfaced this week that Oracle founder Larry Ellison—one of Trump’s most prominent Silicon Valley supporters—is finalizing an acquisition of Paramount Global, a media giant whose assets include CBS, BET, and MTV.

The senator also pointed to renewed efforts to influence TikTok’s U.S. operations, following rumors of potential Republican-backed investments aimed at reshaping the platform’s algorithmic moderation and content visibility. Together, Sanders argued, these developments are “not about innovation or investment—they’re about control.”

“From X and Meta to Twitch and Paramount,” Sanders wrote, “a handful of billionaires are deciding what Americans see, hear, and believe. When those billionaires are also political allies of a man who tried to overturn an election, democracy itself is at risk.”

Trump’s Lawsuits and the Media Backlash

Trump’s legal team recently filed multiple defamation suits, including one against ABC News following their coverage of his felony convictions and another targeting The New York Times for its reporting on his business finances. While Trump has long positioned himself as an adversary of the press—labeling journalists as “enemies of the people”—Sanders warned that this new phase of litigation, paired with sympathetic ownership in media and tech, could tip the scales even further.

Press advocacy groups such as the Committee to Protect Journalists (CPJ) and Reporters Without Borders have echoed similar alarms in the past year, citing an uptick in anti-media rhetoric and strategic lawsuits designed to drain newsroom resources and suppress investigative reporting.

The Public Reaction

Sanders’ post drew hundreds of replies in less than an hour, many from conservative users who accused the senator of hypocrisy or dismissed his claims as partisan fearmongering. Some pointed to the left’s own influence in media through Hollywood, MSNBC, and major tech donors, while others accused Sanders of “protecting biased journalism.”

Still, others—especially progressive journalists and media scholars—rallied behind his warning, calling it a necessary reminder that the erosion of media independence rarely happens overnight. They noted parallels to international cases where populist leaders used lawsuits, ownership control, and online harassment to silence dissent before major elections.

A Broader Battle for Narrative Power

The battle Sanders described isn’t new—but it’s entering a dangerous new phase. With Elon Musk’s X already operating as a primary channel for political messaging and campaign discourse, and with Meta under increasing political pressure to reduce “content moderation,” the traditional gatekeepers of journalism are being replaced by profit-driven or politically aligned actors.

In an era where algorithms decide what news trends, who gets visibility, and which narratives are amplified, Sanders’ warning underscores a chilling reality: controlling the platforms means controlling public perception.

The Bigger Picture

Whether one agrees with Sanders or not, his statement taps into a deep and urgent question about who controls the American narrative. As billionaire investors continue to buy up traditional networks and digital platforms, the lines between journalism, propaganda, and entertainment blur even further.

For everyday Americans, the stakes go beyond political ideology. When access to credible, independent information depends on who owns the microphone, democracy itself becomes fragile.

And as the 2026 election season looms closer, this fight over media ownership and speech control will only intensify—leaving the public to decide not just who to believe, but who gets to speak at all.

Sources:

• Sen. Bernie Sanders X post (October 2025)

• Reuters: “Trump Files New Defamation Suit Against ABC News” (October 2025)

• Bloomberg: “Larry Ellison in Talks to Acquire Paramount Global” (October 2025)

• Committee to Protect Journalists Annual Report (2024)

• Reporters Without Borders: “Press Freedom Index” (2025)