Entertainment gossip and news from Newsweek’s network of contributors
It appears Jeff Bezos has revealed who his presidential pick was — despite canning an endorsement for Democratic candidate Kamala Harris from Washington Post — and some people are calling Bezos out, accusing him of hypocrisy.
On Wednesday, November 6, the Amazon founder — who also owns the Washington Post — took to X (formerly Twitter) to congratulate 47th president-elect Donald Trump on his 2024 election win.
“Big congratulations to our 45th and now 47th President on an extraordinary political comeback and decisive victory,” Bezos wrote. “No nation has bigger opportunities. Wishing @realDonaldTrump all success in leading and uniting the America we all love.”
Chris Jackson/Getty Images
This benediction came after Bezos blocked the Washington Post from endorsing Democratic candidate Kamala Harris just 11 days before Election Day. The Washington Post had regularly endorsed presidential candidates since the 1976 election, when they endorsed Jimmy Carter.
In a statement shared by publisher William Lewis at the time, the publication revealed they would not endorse other candidates in future presidential elections.
“We recognize that this will be read in a range of ways, including as a tacit endorsement of one candidate, or as a condemnation of another, or as an abdication of responsibility. That is inevitable,” Lewis wrote. “We don’t see it that way. We see it as consistent with the values The Post has always stood for and what we hope for in a leader: character and courage in service to the American ethic, veneration for the rule of law, and respect for human freedom in all its aspects.”
Many longtime readers — and Washington Post journalists — publicly decried the decision at the time. But now, after Bezos’ congratulatory message to Trump, some people are accusing the billionaire of hypocrisy by appearing to endorse Trump.
One person juxtaposed Bezos’ tweet with his own words in the Washington Post.
“Jeff Bezos last week: ‘What presidential endorsements actually do is create a perception of bias. A perception of non-independence,'” they tweeted.
Another put their money where their mouth is, refusing to shop at any Bezos-related companies — joining a chorus of users who began advising people to no longer support Bezos’ businesses and announcing their own decisions to cancel their Amazon Prime memberships and Washington Post subscriptions.
“Enjoy your $500+M yachts,” the X user wrote. “I will shop locally and avoid [Bezos-owned] Whole Foods like the plague. Your ‘principled’ stance on endorsements stinks like the self-serving lie that it is.”
Enjoy your $500+M yachts. I will shop locally and avoid and Whole Foods like the plague.
Your ‘principled’ stance on endorsements stinks like the self-serving lie that it is. https://t.co/fLXn2Kocjp
— Sheila P 🌻🇺🇦🌻 Democracy and Truth Matter (@smp0312) November 6, 2024
Others continued to call out Bezos’ alleged hypocrisy.
“I guess they are still doing endorsements,” another wrote.
“Now we know why Washington Post was muzzled by Bezos,” a third social media user opined.
“The gall,” another X user tweeted.
This isn’t the first time Bezos has expressed support for Trump over the years. One X user pulled up screenshots of old tweets from Bezos, including one from 2016 in which he congratulated the then-president.
“Jeff tweeted congratulations to Trump in 2016 and 2024,” they wrote. “No tweet exists for Biden in 2020. He didn’t kill the WaPo endorsement of Harris because he wanted to be non-partisan, he did it because he is a partisan.”
