WASHINGTON, D.C. — President Donald Trump directed the Department of Justice to settle its antitrust suit with Live Nation following a February 27, 2026, Oval Office meeting with Live Nation CEO Michael Rapino. During the meeting, President Trump asked Rapino why the company had not settled the case.

Live Nation reached a settlement with the Department of Justice in early March 2026, one week into the company's federal antitrust trial. A meeting regarding the settlement took place at the White House on March 5, 2026, attended by Rapino, company lawyers, and Department of Justice officials including former Attorney General Pam Bondi. Live Nation had hired the law firm Sullivan & Cromwell to lead its settlement talks with the Department of Justice.

The Sullivan & Cromwell team representing Live Nation included lawyer James McDonald, who was representing Donald Trump in his criminal cases in New York. Donald Trump appointed McDonald to lead the U.S. attorney’s office for the Southern District of New York in July 2026. A jury found Live Nation liable for operating as a monopoly in April 2026.

Dan Wall, Live Nation’s executive vice president of corporate and regulatory affairs, stated, "Our critics are comparing this settlement to the irrational hope of breaking up Live Nation and Ticketmaster. For the actual claims in this case, the DOJ and settling states got as much or more as they could have expected to win in court."

Dan Wall stated, "The only reason we went above the Antitrust Division to senior DOJ leadership is because no one there would speak to us. When you’ve been unable to get a meeting for six months, you have every right to try something else."

Plaintiff states stated in a July 2026 letter to Judge Arun Subramanian that they had "significant concerns" that the Department of Justice settlement with Live Nation was not in the public interest. Judge Arun Subramanian is presiding over the remedies phase of the Live Nation antitrust case and must review and approve the Department of Justice settlement.