Trump praises Jeff Bezos's moves with Washington Post
President Trump is offering rare praise of a media executive, Jeff Bezos, the billionaire founder of Amazon and owner of The Washington Post, alluding to a slew of changes he has made to the newspaper in recent months.
"I find it to be that the media hasn't changed that much," Trump said during an interview with television journalist Sharyl Attkisson. "I think a guy like Bezos is — I've gotten to know him, and I think he's trying to do a real job. Jeff Bezos is trying to do a real job with The Washington Post."
Trump said he's noticed a change in the way Bezos operated the Post during his first term.
"That wasn't happening before," the president said.
Trump was making reference to a spate of high-profile moves Bezos has ordered at the Post, including the nixing of any editorial backing a presidential candidate last fall, a new directive over the focus of its op-eds and a reorganization of the Post's newsroom.
The moves have sparked widespread blowback, canceled subscriptions, staff departures and accusations Bezos is trying to curry favor with Trump to further his business interests.
The billionaire attended Trump's inauguration but has denied he is trying to use the Post as a mechanism to shore up relations with the administration, instead arguing changes are needed at the newspaper to regain trust with readers.
The Post during Trump's first four years in office made a name for itself and built a brand around aggressive coverage of his administration, coined with the mantra "Democracy Dies in Darkness."
The Post earlier this year rolled out a new internal mission statement, “Riveting Storytelling for All of America,” as part of the sweeping changes Bezos has presided over.
Trump, meanwhile, has ridiculed mainstream media outlets during his first two months in office and threatened to use the power of the federal government to scrutinize news providers he says are too hostile toward him.
Topics
-
Washington Post restructuring newsroom; columnist resigns
The Washington Post is planning a major overhaul of the outlet's newsroom as part of a new direction the company is headed under billionaire owner Jeff Bezos. Executive Editor Matt Murray wrote to ...The Hill - Mar. 10 -
Ruth Marcus explains Washington Post exit
Longtime Washington Post columnist Ruth Marcus shed light on her departure from the newspaper this week, knocking its billionaire owner Jeff Bezos and his recent directive to overhaul the Post's ...The Hill - 5d -
Washington Post columnist quits after critical op-ed on Bezos is killed
Ruth Marcus, a longtime op-ed writer for the Washington Post, quit on Monday after, she said, her column criticizing owner Jeff Bezos was killed by publisher.CBS News - 6d -
Washington Post Columnist Quits After Article Criticizing Jeff Bezos Is Shelved
Ruth Marcus, a longtime columnist at The Post, said its publisher refused to run her critique of the new focus for the paper’s opinion section.The New York Times - 6d -
Washington Post editor resigns after accusing CEO of killing column
Washington Post columnist Ruth Marcus resigned Monday after accusing the paper's CEO and publisher of killing her column criticizing owner Jeff Bezos' latest editorial edict.NBC News - Mar. 10 -
Top Washington Post columnist quits after piece critical of Bezos is scrapped
Ruth Marcus dissented from paper’s new opinion policy of supporting only ‘personal liberties and free markets’. Washington Post associate editor and top political columnist Ruth Marcus is ...The Guardian - Mar. 10 -
Here’s your chance to become Jeff Bezos’s neighbor—at a $50 million discount
Bezos’s neighbor has lowered the price of a waterfront parcel on the exclusive Indian Creek Island near Miami Beach, Florida.MarketWatch - 5d -
Commentary: Documentary on Washington Post's former publisher reminds us there's one way forward for media
As publisher, Katharine Graham not only helped change the Washington Post from a small, local daily into a paper of international importance but also set the standard of media ownership.Los Angeles Times - Mar. 6 -
Jeff Bezos Says Identifying Your Hidden Strengths Is Key to Success. Here Are 15 Questions to Find Yours
Jeff Bezos, physicists, and an Academy Award winner all say identifying your hidden strengths helps you get ahead. These questions can help.Inc. - 4d
More from The Hill
-
Engaging Iran: Does Trump have a real plan?
President Trump's claim to have sent a letter to Iran's Ayatollah Ali Khamenei has been met with skepticism by Iran's government, as they have denied receiving any such correspondence and have ...The Hill - 15m -
North American iguanas rafted 5,000 miles to colonize Fiji: Study
A subset of North American iguanas likely landed on an isolated group of South Pacific islands about 34 million years ago — having rafted some 5,000 miles from the West Coast of the faraway ...The Hill - 15m -
White House questions authority of judge's verbal order on Venezuelan deportation flights
The White House on Monday cast doubt on the authority of a verbal order from a judge directing the administration to turn around planes carrying Venezuelan migrants out of the country. White House ...The Hill - 1h -
Cassidy: The national debt is crushing the American Dream
There are competing priorities in the reconciliation bill before Congress.The Hill - 1h -
Appeals court denies Trump's bid to immediately reverse fired federal workers' reinstatement
A federal appeals court in a 2-1 decision Monday declined to immediately block a judge’s order that the Trump administration reinstate fired probationary employees at six federal agencies. The new ...The Hill - 1h
More in Politics
-
Engaging Iran: Does Trump have a real plan?
President Trump's claim to have sent a letter to Iran's Ayatollah Ali Khamenei has been met with skepticism by Iran's government, as they have denied receiving any such correspondence and have ...The Hill - 15m -
North American iguanas rafted 5,000 miles to colonize Fiji: Study
A subset of North American iguanas likely landed on an isolated group of South Pacific islands about 34 million years ago — having rafted some 5,000 miles from the West Coast of the faraway ...The Hill - 15m -
White House questions authority of judge's verbal order on Venezuelan deportation flights
The White House on Monday cast doubt on the authority of a verbal order from a judge directing the administration to turn around planes carrying Venezuelan migrants out of the country. White House ...The Hill - 1h -
Cassidy: The national debt is crushing the American Dream
There are competing priorities in the reconciliation bill before Congress.The Hill - 1h -
Appeals court denies Trump's bid to immediately reverse fired federal workers' reinstatement
A federal appeals court in a 2-1 decision Monday declined to immediately block a judge’s order that the Trump administration reinstate fired probationary employees at six federal agencies. The new ...The Hill - 1h