Bezos Called Washington Post His worst investment to Trump

Amazon founder Jeff Bezos privately told then-President-elect Donald Trump in December 2024 that his purchase of The Washington Post was his "worst investment," according to a forthcoming book by journalists Jonathan Swan and Maggie Haberman. The conversation, detailed in an excerpt from "Regime Change: Inside the Imperial Presidency of Donald Trump," occurred months before Bezos authorized deep staff cuts at the newspaper.

During a dinner that month, Bezos reportedly complained about the Post's leadership, stating, "The people there are terrible." He focused his frustration on the business side of the operation, which he said would not follow his direction after the paper lost more than $100 million in 2024. "They don't listen. My other companies, they listen," Bezos told Trump, according to the book.

Trump, who has long criticized the Post's coverage of him, responded by telling Bezos, "This Washington Post is really unfair. You've got to take better care." The authors wrote that Bezos commiserated with Trump, indicating he was also deeply frustrated with the paper, though for different reasons. Trump later claimed Bezos told him the investment had cost him half his friends,...