Trusting too much: Jeff Bezos Optimistic About Trump’s Second Term

Amazon founder Jeff Bezos expressed optimism about President-elect Donald Trump’s upcoming second term, highlighting his willingness to support efforts to reduce regulations.

Speaking at The New York Times’ DealBook Summit in New York on Wednesday, Bezos said he is looking forward to potential changes in regulatory policies during Trump’s presidency.

“I’m actually very optimistic this time around,” Bezos stated during a wide-ranging interview. “He seems to have a lot of energy around reducing regulation. If I can help do that, I’m going to help him.”

The billionaire entrepreneur, who has often been a target of Trump’s criticism in the past, acknowledged that the United States has “too many regulations” and that cutting back could be beneficial for the country’s business environment.

Bezos’ comments come shortly after his October decision to prohibit The Washington Post, which he owns, from endorsing any presidential candidate. The move sparked backlash, with tens of thousands of subscribers canceling their memberships and protests from veteran journalists at the paper.

In an op-ed explaining the decision, Bezos argued that editorial endorsements can create perceptions of bias in a time when public trust in the media is already low, and that endorsements rarely influence election outcomes.

During the interview on Wednesday, Bezos addressed Trump’s contentious relationship with the press, urging the president-elect to reconsider his stance. “I would try to talk him out of the idea that the press is the enemy,” Bezos said.

“You’ve probably grown in the last eight years,” he added, speaking to journalist Andrew Ross Sorkin. “He has, too. This is not the case. The press is not the enemy.”

Trump had previously criticized Bezos and his companies, including Amazon and The Washington Post, throughout his first term.

In 2019, Amazon argued in court that Trump’s bias had damaged the company’s chances of securing a $10 billion Pentagon cloud-computing contract. The contract was later pursued by the Biden administration with both Amazon and Microsoft in consideration.

Despite their past conflicts, Bezos appeared ready to set differences aside to support Trump’s regulatory agenda. He also shared his views on Elon Musk, who is expected to play a significant role in shaping regulatory changes during the upcoming Trump administration.

Musk, whose SpaceX competes with Bezos’ Blue Origin in the aerospace sector, has been tasked with cutting regulations to foster economic growth.

Bezos expressed confidence that Musk would not use his position to harm competitors. “I don’t expect Elon to use his power in a way that’s detrimental to businesses like mine,” he said, referencing their rivalry in the space exploration industry.

Bezos’ remarks signal a pragmatic approach to Trump’s presidency, reflecting his willingness to collaborate on policies that could benefit businesses, despite their turbulent history.

As the Trump administration gears up for its second term, the relationship between Bezos, Musk, and Trump will likely be closely watched.