The implied threats in Trump’s tweets about CNN and Sinclair

[Analysis] President Trump's tweet that CNN President Jeff Zucker's “job is in jeopardy” is more than mere gossip. It carries an implied threat because President Trump could influence Zucker's employment status. The Justice Department is suing to block AT&T's $85.4 billion acquisition of Time Warner, CNN's parent company. What could move President Trump to drop his protest? Ousting Zucker would certainly fit into an appeasement effort. President Trump seems to feel that Zucker owes him favorable coverage because Zucker was chief executive of NBC Universal when Trump's “Apprentice” series became a hit for NBC. When Zucker took the helm of CNN in 2012, Trump called him a “great choice,” but Trump's opinion changed with CNN's tough coverage of his campaign and presidency. The notion that President Trump could pressure a media company into making a leadership change is not entirely hypothetical.