Sen. Elizabeth Warren faced criticism from the Washington Post after attempting to blame President Donald Trump for the recent “Monday Night Football” blackout on YouTube TV. The Elizabeth Warren Trump dispute began when Warren claimed the blackout reflected corporate greed allowed to flourish under Trump’s leadership.
“You might not be able to watch ‘Monday Night Football’ tonight. Why? When companies get too big, they have the power to cut off your favorite channels. That’s what’s happening here. And what’s Trump done about it? He’s let them get away with it,” Warren wrote on X.
However, the Washington Post editorial board rebuked her accusation, publishing a column titled, “Elizabeth Warren knows better.” The editors wrote, “That is not, in fact, what’s happening here.” The blackout followed a contract dispute between Disney and YouTube TV, after the two companies failed to reach an agreement over distribution fees. Disney’s channels, including ESPN, ABC, and FX, were removed when talks broke down in late October.
“YouTube TV is trying to keep costs down for its customers, while Disney is trying to get the most value for its products,” the editorial said. “Buyers want prices to be lower, and sellers want prices to be higher. Such is life.” The Post further argued that Warren was effectively siding with Disney’s higher prices, asking, “Why should the president or a senator weigh in on Disney’s side, which is the side of higher prices for consumers?”
The editorial concluded that the dispute between Disney and Google was best left to the private sector. In a final jab, it wrote, “Warren, a former Harvard Law School professor who made big money consulting for corporations before she refashioned herself as a pitchfork populist, knows all this.”
