A court filing has put Donald Trump at the center of Live Nation’s antitrust case. The disclosure reveals the president had a conversation with Michael Rapino. This was weeks before a DOJ deal that caught even the presiding judge off guard.
Donald Trump reportedly had a word with Michael Rapino amid DOJ decision
In February 2026, Live Nation CEO Michael Rapino reportedly met with President Donald Trump to discuss the company’s ongoing DOJ lawsuit. According to a court filing made public on Monday, no settlement terms were exchanged, but the timing alone has raised serious questions about Trump’s influence over the Justice Department’s decision-making in the live event industry.
Weeks after that meeting, on March 5, senior representatives from Live Nation, the DOJ’s antitrust division, the attorney general’s office, and the White House counsel’s office gathered to draft a settlement term sheet, which they signed that day.
What followed was the DOJ’s announcement of the deal mid-trial, blindsiding both the judge and its own trial team. Judge Arun Subramanian called it “mind-boggling” that the DOJ attorneys handling the case before the jury knew nothing about the agreement. He summoned Rapino and the head of the antitrust division to court for a tense hearing.
A DOJ official defended the agreement in a statement. “For the first time ever, Live Nation will allow artists to use other promoters at Live Nation venues. For fans, there will be a service fee cap for concerts at amphitheaters and new ways to obtain tickets on a variety of platforms,” the official said. Consumer groups, however, largely rejected that framing.
The deal also coincided with the removal of Gail Slater, the DOJ’s antitrust chief. Slater is known for pushing aggressive enforcement in the same month that Michael Rapino spoke with Donald Trump.
However, more than 30 state attorneys general refused to join the federal settlement. They pressed ahead with the trial and won. Judge Subramanian will now decide whether to accept the DOJ settlement. If so, what remedies or damages should be imposed in light of the verdict?
(Source: CNN)
Originally reported by Devanshi Basu for Mandatory.
