Trump spoke with Live Nation CEO shortly before surprise Justice Department settlement, court filing reveals

By Kara Scannell, CNN

(CNN) — Live Nation’s chief executive spoke with President Donald Trump less than a month before the ticketing and events giant reached a surprise antitrust settlement with the Justice Department that consumer advocate groups have largely panned.

The highly-unusual conversation between Live Nation CEO Michael Rapino and the president was disclosed in a court filing on Monday. The disclosure also reveals that the White House counsel’s office was involved in finalizing the settlement.

“In February 2026, Mr. Rapino discussed a variety of topics related to Live Nation’s business with President Donald J. Trump; the status of DOJ’s lawsuit against Defendants came up but no substantive terms regarding any potential settlement were discussed,” Live Nation disclosed in a court filing.

The filing raises questions about whether Trump was personally behind the settlement and how closely he is involved in Justice Department decision-making.

In a statement, the Justice Department celebrated its settlement with Live Nation.

“For the first time ever, Live Nation will allow artists to use other promoters at Live Nation venues. This means an artist is no longer tied to using Live Nation’s promotional service if they want to play at a particular venue,” the statement said. “For fans, there will be a service fee cap for concerts at amphitheaters and new ways to obtain tickets on a variety of platforms. For venue owners, Live Nation is required to offer venues the option to sell tickets through a third-party.”

The statement said the settlement will enable competition which will lower prices.

“The Department’s overriding interest was providing immediate relief for consumers rather than risk an adverse decision or years of continued appellate litigation,” the statement said.

The White House referred questions to the Justice Department.

The conversation took place just weeks before the landmark antitrust trial began and the same month senior Justice Department leadership pushed out Gail Slater, the head of the Justice Department’s antitrust division. Slater was known to advocate for aggressive approaches to the antitrust cases she oversaw

On March 5, representatives of Live Nation, the antitrust division, the attorney general’s office, deputy attorney general’s office and White House counsel’s office met to finalize the settlement, and hammered out a term sheet signed that day, according to the court filing.

The Live Nation settlement with DOJ was announced during the second week of the trial and blindsided the judge overseeing the case as well as the Justice Department trial team handling the case before the jury.

Judge Arun Subramanian summoned Rapino and the head of the antitrust division to court for a testy hearing. During the hearing, the judge said it was “mind boggling” that DOJ attorneys did not know about deal.

The trial resumed with more than 30 state attorneys general moving forward. The jury found Live Nation acted as a monopoly and overcharged fans.

After the verdict was announced, Slater wrote on X, “You made antitrust history today. You fought the good fight, you finished the race, and you kept the faith.”

The judge will ultimately decide whether to approve the DOJ settlement and assign remedies or damages in light of the verdict.

This story has been updated with additional details.

CNN’s Hannah Rabinowitz contributed to this report.

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