Paramount CEO David Ellison attended a state dinner hosted by President Donald Trump on September 24, 2026, in honor of Chinese President Xi Jinping's visit to Washington, D.C. Ellison's presence at the dinner comes amidst ongoing tensions between Trump and the press, particularly with CNN, which is in the process of being acquired by Ellison as part of the Warner Bros. Discovery merger. CNN was barred from covering the event, a decision confirmed by Chief White House Correspondent Kaitlan Collins, who shared the full guest list published by the White House communications team.
The guest list included notable figures such as First Lady Melania Trump, Vice President JD Vance, Secretary of State Marco Rubio, and tech leaders like OpenAI's Sam Altman, Apple's Tim Cook, SpaceX's Elon Musk, and Meta's Mark Zuckerberg. Ellison's attendance is significant due to his ongoing efforts to finalize the Warner Bros. Discovery acquisition, which requires federal approval. Trump's Department of Justice had previously approved the $110 billion merger in June.
Additionally, CNN was denied access to cover the state dinner, despite a recent federal judge ruling that allowed CNN, MS NOW, and Politico access to the White House grounds. CNN anchor Erin Burnett reported on the denial of access shortly after the ruling, highlighting the ongoing conflict between the network and the Trump administration.