Washington DC - President Donald Trump made clear Wednesday that he wants CNN – a network he has long derided – under new ownership as part of the Warner Bros. Discovery sale.

The entertainment giant has become the center of a bidding war between Paramount – led by CEO David Ellison, son of Trump ally Larry Ellison – and Netflix.

While Paramount's offer covers CNN, the Netflix deal would see Warner Bros Discovery selling off CNN and other cable news properties separately.

"I think any deal should – it should be guaranteed and certain that CNN is part of it or sold separately," Trump told business leaders Wednesday at the White House.

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"I don't think the people that are running that company right now and running CNN, which is a very dishonest group of people, I don't think that should be allowed to continue. I think CNN should be sold along with everything else," he added.

Trump openly admitted he would be involved in the government's decision to approve the deal, instead of leaving the question solely to the Department of Justice, as is typically the case.

Reports indicate that both bidders have lobbied the White House and Trump directly to support their bids.

Trump has long had a hostile relationship with CNN and other major news organizations that have dared to cover him critically, branding them "fake news" and attacking them repeatedly on social media.

His insistence that CNN end up in friendly hands appears to favor the Paramount bid, even though the Netflix deal would also involve selling off the news network to an as-yet-unknown buyer.

Since David Ellison took over Paramount earlier this year, the company has named right-wing columnist Bari Weiss as editor-in-chief of CBS News.

The clear ideological pivot didn't stop Trump from railing against Paramount and Ellison on Monday for daring to interview ally-turned-critic Marjorie Taylor Greene.