According to a Politico report on Wednesday, Netflix CEO Ted Sarandos will visit the White House on Thursday to discuss the company's efforts to acquire certain assets of Warner Bros. Discovery. This development comes as Paramount intensifies its own bidding efforts.

The reported visit occurs five days after President Donald Trump demanded that Netflix immediately remove former Obama administration official Susan Rice from its board, threatening "consequences" if the company failed to comply.

A source familiar with the discussions informed Politico that it remains unclear whether Sarandos will meet with Trump during the visit.

Netflix declined to comment on CNBC's request regarding the report. When CNBC sought confirmation from the White House about the visit, a spokesperson stated, "We do not comment on private meetings that may or may not occur."

Similar to numerous other business transactions over the past year, the acquisition battle surrounding Warner Bros. Discovery has become entangled with presidential politics.

Several weeks ago, Trump indicated he would not intervene in the multibillion-dollar bidding war between Netflix, which seeks to acquire Warner Bros. Discovery's film and streaming brands, and Paramount, which aims to purchase the entire business.

However, Trump appears to have reversed his position. In a Truth Social post on Saturday afternoon, he demanded Netflix remove Rice from its board, labeling her a "racist" and a "political mercenary."

Trump shared a link to an X post by Lora Lummer, a far-right media figure within Trump's circle, which criticized Rice and urged the president to "kill the Netflix-Warner Bros. merger now."

Lummer's post highlighted Rice's recent appearance on a podcast. Rice, who served in the Obama, Clinton, and Biden administrations, predicted during the podcast that businesses and other institutions that have catered to Trump would face "accountability" when his political opponents return to power.