President Donald Trump spoke with Live Nation CEO Michael Rapino about the company's antitrust lawsuit before the Justice Department settled its case against the entertainment giant. The company revealed the conversation in a court filing, noting it occurred in February.
The revelation raises questions about potential White House influence on the Justice Department's antitrust enforcement, particularly given the timing of the settlement and the direct communication between the President and the CEO of the company under investigation.
President Donald Trump spoke directly with the chief executive of Live Nation, Michael Rapino, in the weeks leading up to the Justice Department's settlement of its antitrust lawsuit against the entertainment company and its subsidiary, Ticketmaster. Live Nation disclosed this interaction in a court filing on Monday, stating the conversation took place in February but did not involve discussions of "substantive terms" related to any potential settlement.
The company also revealed that White House lawyers participated in numerous communications, including meetings and calls, between Live Nation and the Justice Department during February and March. The Justice Department announced a settlement in the antitrust case just days into the trial in March. However, many states declined to join the agreement, arguing it did not sufficiently address Live Nation's market dominance.
Following the settlement, the trial continued, and a jury ultimately determined that the company operated as a monopoly. The jury concluded that Ticketmaster's anticompetitive practices resulted in consumers in 22 states paying an additional $1.72 per ticket. State attorneys general involved in the lawsuit expressed optimism that the verdict could lead to lower ticket prices for consumers.