Jeff Bezos defends Washington Post's ‘right decision’ not to endorse Kamala Harris

Jeff Bezos defended The Washington Post's decision to not endorse presidential candidates, citing declining public trust in media.

Jeff Bezos, owner of The Washington Post, defended his decision to halt the newspaper's 36 years long tradition of endorsing presidential candidates, calling it the “right decision.”

Then Amazon CEO Jeff Bezos speaks at the the Amazon re:MARS convention on June 6, 2019, in Las Vegas. Amazon founder Jeff Bezos said Wednesday, Dec. 4, 2024 that he is “optimistic” about President-elect Donald Trump’s second term and expressed some excitement about potential regulatory cutbacks in the coming years. (AP Photo/John Locher, File)(AP)

Speaking at The New York Times’ DealBook Summit on Wednesday during an interview with Andrew Ross Sorkin, Bezos addressed the choice made in October when the Post refrained from endorsing Kamala Harris over Donald Trump.

“We just decided that, you know, it wasn’t going to help,” Bezos said, explaining the rationale behind the move. “It wasn’t going to influence the election either way.”

Bezos pointed to declining public trust in mainstream media as a key factor in the decision. He cited an October Gallup poll showing trust in the media at an all-time low, with only 31% of Americans expressing confidence that news is reported accurately. He argued that endorsing Harris would have done little to address this sentiment, noting that the benefits of an endorsement were minimal and could contribute to a “perception of bias.”

Bezos ‘optimistic’ about Trump's second term, cites this…

Critics, including former Washington Post executive editor Marty Baron, accused Bezos and the paper of lacking courage. “Donald Trump will see this as an invitation to further intimidate owner Jeff Bezos (and others),” Baron said at the time. “Disturbing spinelessness at an institution famed for courage.”

Bezos dismissed such criticism, saying, “You can’t do the wrong thing because you’re worried about bad PR.”

Bezos emphasized that the Post will continue its robust coverage of the presidency during Trump’s second term. He is “optimistic” about President-elect’s second term and expressed, “I’m actually very optimistic this time around. He seems to have a lot of energy around reducing regulation. If I can help do that, I’m going to help him.”

When asked about Trump’s well-documented disdain for the press, Bezos expressed a willingness to engage with the former president. “I’m aiming to talk him out of it,” he said, and added, “I’m still very proud of that decision.”