[Baltimore Sun] Jeff Bezos congratulates Trump on ‘extraordinary’ comeback after non-endorsement backlash

Jeff Bezos congratulated President-elect Donald Trump on Wednesday on his election victory, following the billionaire’s controversial decision to block The Washington Post from issuing a presidential endorsement.

The Associated Press called the presidential election in favor of Trump on Wednesday morning. The Republican’s victory was fueled by wins in multiple crucial battleground states.

Bezos issued “big congratulations” to Trump via X, saying he achieved an “extraordinary political comeback and decisive victory.”

“No nation has bigger opportunities,” the billionaire wrote. “Wishing [Trump] all success in leading and uniting the America we all love.”

The well wishes follow Bezos deciding The Washington Post, which he owns, would end its practice of making presidential endorsements. The publication had previously endorsed candidates since the 1980s, consistently backing Democrats.

The Washington Post had reportedly drafted a Harris endorsement prior to its owner’s decision. Current and former employees of the publication criticized Bezos’s move, with ex-editor-at-large Robert Kagan calling it a blatant attempt to “curry favor” with Trump.

Bezos defended his decision in an op-ed, referencing a Gallup poll which found only 31% of Americans had confidence in the news industry.

“We must be accurate, and we must be believed to be accurate,” Bezos wrote. “It’s a bitter pill to swallow, but we are failing on the second requirement.”

“I wish we had made the change earlier than we did, in a moment further from the election and the emotions around it,” he added. “That was inadequate planning, and not some intentional strategy.”

The Washington Post reported last week that it lost at least 250,000 subscribers following the non-endorsement decision.

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