Amazon founder Jeff Bezos voiced optimism about President-elect Donald Trump’s upcoming second term, emphasizing potential benefits from regulatory cutbacks. Speaking at The New York Times’ DealBook Summit in New York, Bezos remarked, “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.” He added, “We do have too many regulations in this country.”
Bezos’ comments come after his controversial October decision to bar The Washington Post, which he owns, from endorsing any presidential candidate. This move triggered significant backlash, with tens of thousands of subscription cancellations and protests from veteran journalists. In an op-ed explaining the decision, Bezos argued that endorsements create an illusion of bias, eroding public trust in the media without meaningfully influencing election outcomes.
Addressing Trump’ often hostile stance toward the press, Bezos indicated he would encourage the president-elect to reconsider. “You’ve probably grown in the last eight years,” Bezos said, referring to a journalist that was present. “He has too,” he stated about Trump. “The press is not the enemy.”
Trump had previously criticized Bezos and his enterprises, including Amazon and The Washington Post. In 2019, Amazon claimed in court that Trump’s bias cost the company a $10 billion Pentagon contract, which the Biden administration later awarded jointly to Amazon and Microsoft.
Discussing competition in the tech sector, Bezos downplayed concerns that Elon Musk, who is expected to spearhead regulatory reforms in Trump’s new administration, might use his influence to target rivals. Bezos, who owns aerospace firm Blue Origin, competes with Musk’s SpaceX but stated he does not foresee Musk leveraging his role to undermine competitors.
