Amazon founder Jeff Bezos reportedly told then-President-elect Donald Trump that purchasing The Washington Post was his “worst investment” during a private dinner at Mar-a-Lago in December 2024 — months before he approved sweeping cuts that would fundamentally reshape the newspaper.
The revelation comes from “Regime Change: Inside the Imperial Presidency of Donald Trump,” a forthcoming book by New York Times journalists Jonathan Swan and Maggie Haberman. According to an excerpt obtained by the California Post, Bezos vented to Trump about the newspaper’s leadership after The Washington Post reportedly lost more than $100 million in 2024.
“The people there are terrible,” Bezos told Trump.
Bezos also reportedly complained that Post executives repeatedly ignored his directives.
“They don’t listen. My other companies, they listen,” Bezos said.
The conversation occurred as Trump voiced his own frustrations with the newspaper’s coverage, saying “This Washington Post is really unfair. You’ve got to take better care.”
Swan and Haberman write that the two men found unexpected common ground over their dissatisfaction with the paper.
“Bezos commiserated with Trump over their December dinner, indicating that he, too, was deeply frustrated with the Post, though for a different reason,” the authors wrote.
The book also claims Trump came away believing Bezos had lost friends because of the newspaper purchase. According to the authors, Bezos later clarified that people close to him had encouraged him to sell the publication.
Financial Losses and Internal Turmoil
The reported comments came amid one of the most turbulent periods in The Washington Post’s recent history.
In October 2024, the newspaper sparked widespread backlash after it declined to endorse Vice President Kamala Harris for president. The decision triggered a wave of subscriber cancellations and internal criticism from journalists and opinion writers.
Defending the move at the time, Bezos argued that presidential endorsements damage public trust in media organizations.
“Presidential endorsements do nothing to tip the scales of an election,” Bezos wrote in an October 2024 opinion piece. “What presidential endorsements actually do is create a perception of bias.”
Reports later indicated that more than 250,000 subscribers canceled their subscriptions following the controversy.
The newspaper’s financial troubles only deepened. Multiple reports indicated The Washington Post lost roughly $100 million in 2024 as declining readership, advertising challenges, and changing digital media consumption patterns battered the business.
Bezos Pushes New Direction
In February 2025, Bezos announced a dramatic shift in the newspaper’s opinion section. The billionaire ordered the section to focus on what he described as two core principles: Personal liberties and free markets.
The move prompted the resignation of opinion editor David Shipley and fueled additional concerns among staff members that Bezos was reshaping the paper’s editorial identity.
The changes also coincided with a thawing relationship between Bezos and Trump. Trump later revealed that he and Bezos had dinner again shortly after the opinion-page overhaul was announced, describing their relationship as markedly different from the hostility that existed during Trump’s first term.
Massive Cuts Follow
By early 2026, Bezos authorized major reductions across the newspaper which reportedly eliminated roughly one-third of the newsroom, including the sports department, books coverage, and numerous reporting positions. Several international bureaus were also scaled back as management sought to stem financial losses.
Critics accused Bezos of weakening one of America’s most influential newspapers, while supporters argued the publication needed significant changes to remain financially viable.
Former Washington Post executive editor Marty Baron sharply criticized the moves, arguing that Bezos was undermining the institution.
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