Jeff Bezos says he will try to talk Trump out of the idea that the news media is an ‘enemy.
Speaking at The New York Times’ DealBook Summit on Wednesday, Amazon founder and Washington Post owner Jeff Bezos expressed optimism about working with a potential second Trump administration and addressed controversies surrounding his leadership of the newspaper.
Bezos, once a frequent target of Donald Trump during his first term, struck a conciliatory tone, emphasizing the importance of a free press and his hope to change Trump’s view of journalists. I don’t think the press is the enemy, Bezos told Andrew Ross Sorkin. The press is not the enemy; let’s go persuade him of this.
Despite their tumultuous history, which included Trump labeling the Post as Fake News and accusing Amazon of tax evasion, Bezos seemed eager to collaborate on shared goals, such as reducing government regulation. “I am very optimistic this time around, he said. “I am very hopeful. He seems to have a lot of energy around reducing regulation, and if I can help him do that, I am going to help him.
Bezos also reflected on the growth he and Trump have undergone since their previous clashes. You’ve probably grown in the last eight years, Bezos remarked. He has, too.
The summit marked Bezos’ first public comments since his controversial decision to end presidential endorsements at the Post, a move announced just two weeks before the 2024 Election Day. The decision drew sharp criticism from reporters, readers, and commentators, leading to the resignation of nearly one-third of the paper’s editorial board and 250,000 subscription cancellations. Critics accused Bezos of anticipatory obedience to avoid potential political backlash.
Defending the decision, Bezos said, I’m proud of the decision we made, and it was far from cowardly. He explained that the Post aimed to remain a credible, trusted, independent voice and argued that the benefits of a presidential endorsement were not worth exacerbating perceptions of bias.
Asked whether potential retribution against his companies, such as Amazon or Blue Origin, influenced the decision, Bezos denied it. That was certainly not in my mind, he said, reiterating that the Post would continue to cover all presidents aggressively.
Bezos acknowledged the broader challenges facing traditional media, including a very difficult and significant loss of trust. He admitted his ownership could create the appearance of a conflict of interest but maintained that the Post operates independently. “I am a terrible owner of the Post from the point of view of [an] appearance of conflict, he said.
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