To much of Hollywood’s decidedly liberal base, Donald Trump is truly the enemy from within, a former reality show host who used the power of television to launch himself to the highest stage of world politics. As they did in 2016 and 2020, celebs from across the film, TV and music industry mobilized against his run for the presidency. There were star-studded Kamala Harris rallies.
All for naught. But at the corporate level of the media and entertainment industry, it’s not exactly the resurgence of the anti-Trump resistance. Much of the reaction among show business and technology chief executives has been either explicitly supportive or generally hopeful that the new Republican administration will be more business-friendly, particularly when it comes to taxes, regulation, artificial intelligence and M&A (mergers and acquisitions).
Stocks surged in the days after the election. Bitcoin hit a record high Monday on the belief that Trump will be less hostile to cryptocurrency. Apple CEO Tim Cook and Amazon Executive Chairman Jeff Bezos tweeted their congratulations to the president-elect.
Elon Musk, whose social media platform X remains highly influential, directly backed Trump’s return to the White House. David Zaslav, the head of Warner Bros. Discovery, last week said he’s optimistic about what the new administration will mean for dealmaking, in contrast to the more restrictive regulatory environment under President Biden.
“It’s too early to tell, but it may offer a p.