The editorial board at the Washington Post had written the endorsement but it was killed by owner Jeff Bezos. The decision has enraged many in the newsroom and now people are asking why. For some, like former editor Robert Kagan, it didn't take much to put two and two together.
Source: Associated Press
After he spoke in Austin, Trump greeted executives from Blue Origin, the space exploration company owned by billionaire Jeff Bezos.
Bezos is the founder of Amazon and the owner of The Washington Post, which reported Friday that its editorial board won’t endorse a candidate for president. The decision was framed as a return to earlier tradition, but it sparked speculation that Bezos wants to avoid antagonizing Trump, who has vowed retribution against his enemies and critics if he returns to the White House.
The Post editorial board endorsed Trump’s Democratic rivals in 2016 and 2020, and the former president has often railed against critical news coverage by the newspaper.
Trump spoke briefly with Blue Origin’s CEO, David Limp, and vice president of government relations, Megan Mitchell, as he left a hangar where he spoke to supporters and journalists at the Austin airport.
The conversation underscores the web of diverse and competing interests in the Bezos business empire. Trump’s campaign did not immediately respond to questions about whether the conversation had been planned and whether they had attended the event.
Bezos bought the Washington Post in 2013. He made the purchase as an individual and Amazon.com Inc. was not involved. Bezos stepped down as Amazon CEO in 2021 but remains the company’s executive chairman and largest shareholder.
Officials with Seattle-based Blue Origin did not immediately respond to a message from The Associated Press.
Robert Kagan resigned immediately on Friday, telling the Daily Beast it was a straight quid pro quo.
Robert Kagan, who resigned from his position on Friday after more than two decades at the publication, told the Daily Beast that Trump’s meeting with executives of Bezos’ Blue Origin space company the same day that the Amazon founder had killed a plan to support Harris was proof of the backroom deal.
“Trump waited to make sure that Bezos did what he said he was going to do, and then met with the Blue Origin people,” he said on Saturday. “Which tells us that there was an actual deal made, meaning that Bezos communicated, or through his people, communicated directly with Trump, and they set up this quid pro quo.”
