A significant merger that would form one of the largest TV and internet service providers in the nation will serve as an early test for President Trump’s antitrust enforcement policies. Charter Communications and Cox Communications revealed the $34.5 billion deal on Friday, framing their announcement to align with the president’s discourse, according to the New York Times. The merger is described as prioritizing American interests by repatriating customer service jobs from overseas. Additionally, the companies highlighted the inclusion of Charter’s Spectrum News stations’ “hyperlocal, unbiased news” for Cox customers, a point that resonates with Trump’s criticisms of media bias. Notably, the press release omitted mentioning that Cox’s parent company owns Axios, a Washington-based news site.\nThe transaction involves Charter paying cash and stock for Cox. Following the deal’s completion, the combined entity will operate under the Cox name and market consumer services through the Spectrum brand. The companies anticipate achieving annual cost savings of $500 million within a few years due to typical procurement and overhead efficiencies. Charter’s CEO, Chris Winfrey, is set to become the president and CEO of the merged company, while Cox’s CEO and Chairman, Alex Taylor, will assume the role of chairman. The deal requires antitrust approval to proceed.\nThe Trump administration has cautioned corporations not to expect automatic approval of mergers, as evidenced by its efforts to block Hewlett Packard Enterprise’s $14 billion acquisition of Juniper Networks. Last month, the Federal Trade Commission chair, Andrew Ferguson, echoed this stance, stating he does not have an ideological opposition to mergers and acquisitions but does not believe it should be a free-for-all environment for deal-making. Cox, the third-largest cable television provider in the US with over 6.5 million customers, and Charter Communications, known widely as Spectrum and serving more than 32 million customers across 41 states, are combining their operations. — new from Newser