Amazon founder Jeff Bezos congratulated Donald Trump after he won more than 270 electoral votes to become the 47th president of the United States in the 2024 election.
“Huge congratulations to our 45th and now 47th president on his extraordinary political comeback and decisive victory. Bezos wrote in the X. “No nation has greater opportunities.” “@realDonaldTrump every success in leading and uniting the America we all love.
Bezos’ comments come as the billionaire owner of the Washington Post is being criticized for his role in the paper’s decision to withdraw its endorsement of Trump’s rival, Vice President Kamala Harris, a move that resulted in the loss of hundreds of thousands of subscribers, as well as some of its most prominent writers.
In a Washington Post op-ed, Bezos denied that his business interests played a role in the decision, adding that the endorsement “does nothing to tip the balance of the election” and creates a “perception of bias.”
“When it comes to the appearance of conflict, I’m not the ideal owner of the Washington Post. Every day, somewhere, an executive from Amazon or Blue Origin or someone from charities and other companies I own or invest in meets with government officials. I once wrote that The Post is “complicated” to me. “It is, but it turns out I’m also complicated to The Washington Post,” he added. “You can see my wealth and business interests as a bulwark against bullying, or you can see them as a web of conflicting interests. Only my principles can tip the scales from one to the other. I assure you that my views here are, in fact, principled, and I think my record as owner of The Post since 2013 supports that. Of course, you’re free to make up your own mind, but I challenge you to find a case in those 11 years where I was able to persuade anyone at The Washington Post to favor my own interests. “Never.”
In addition to the Washington Post, the Los Angeles Times also chose not to endorse any presidential candidate, facing similar criticism and staff resignations. Owner Patrick Soon-Shiong blamed the paper’s editorial board for choosing to “remain silent” and accepted its decision.
A source