Rene Augustine, a former lawyer for Donald Trump, has been hired by Paramount Global to head its global public policy efforts. This important hire comes at a time when the company is trying to buy Warner Bros. Discovery and the stakes are high.
Rene Augustine is now in charge of global public policy at Paramount and reports directly to Chief Legal Officer Makan Delrahim. During President Trump’s first term, she worked as the White House Counsel’s Associate Counsel and Special Assistant to the President. Augustine has a J.D. from Vanderbilt University and will start on February 17, 2026. He will work in Washington, D.C., where he will focus on policy strategies and diplomatic relations to help Paramount reach its business goals.
The move strengthens Paramount’s regulatory team as it aggressively goes after Warner Bros. Discovery, which means getting complicated approvals from both regulators and competitors. This comes after David Ellison took over as CEO in August 2025 and fits with recent events, like Warner Bros. accepting Netflix’s $72 billion offer. Augustine’s work during the Trump administration has prepared her to deal with the political and legal issues that come up in this media consolidation battle.
