New York (CNN) � Jeff Bezos, the Amazon founder and chairman, congratulated Donald Trump on Wednesday for an “extraordinary political comeback and decisive victory� after the former president won re-election, wishing Trump “all success in leading and uniting the America we all love.�
“Big congratulations to our 45th and now 47th President on an extraordinary political comeback and decisive victory. No nation has bigger opportunities,� Bezos on X. “Wishing [Donald Trump] all success in leading and uniting the America we all love.�
Amazon chief executive Andy Jassy also congratulated Trump on his re-election.
“Congratulations to President-elect Trump on a hard-fought victory,� . “We look forward to working with you and your administration on issues important to our customers, employees, communities, and country.�
The reaction comes a , the owner of The Washington Post, defended his decision to withhold his newspaper’s endorsement of Vice President Kamala Harris, asserting that endorsements create the “perception of bias.�
Bezos, however, acknowledged the “appearance of conflict� in his decision, noting that his ownership of Amazon and space exploration firm Blue Origin has been a “complexifier for the Post.�
News of the non-endorsement immediately sparked backlash from Post reporters and readers alike, resulting in the resignation of nearly one-third of the paper’s editorial board and 250,000 readers . Current and former staffers also of engaging in “anticipatory obedience.�
For Trump, Bezos� business holdings have long been one and the same, as evidenced by his repeated references to the so-called “Amazon Washington Post.� And Trump’s history of attacks on Bezos have not been reserved to the Post. , Amazon alleged that Trump, then in office, had abused his power to apply “improper pressure� on top Pentagon officials to bar the company from winning a military contract that would have netted the company significant windfall.
Trump has also publicly lambasted Bezos, posting a in January 2019 following a National Enquirer report the billionaire had engaged in an extramarital affair, writing he was “so sorry to hear the news about Jeff Bozo being taken down by a competitor whose reporting, I understand, is far more accurate than the reporting in his lobbyist newspaper, the Amazon Washington Post.�
“Hopefully the paper will soon be placed in better & more responsible hands,� Trump wrote.
Ahead of the election Tuesday, Trump’s campaign blocked a reporter for Amazon’s hosted by Brian Williams from covering the campaign’s watch party in Florida.
Tara Palmeri, a Puck’s political correspondent who was set to broadcast from the Florida event, had after she about “anxiety� within the Trump campaign.
“I know I told you that I would be covering the Trump election night party from Palm Beach but turns out I have pissed off Trump’s campaign manager with my reporting and they decided to deny my credentials,� Palmeri said on the podcast “Somebody’s Gotta Win.�
On Wednesday morning, Amazon’s stock was trading up more than 3%.
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