Amazon founder Jeff Bezos said Wednesday at the New York Times Dealbook Summit that he’s “actually very optimistic this time” about President-elect Donald Trump’s second term in office.
“He (Trump) seems to have a lot of energy for deregulation,” Bezos said, adding, “If I can help him, I’m going to help him too.”
Last month, President Trump announced the creation of a Department of Government Efficiency aimed at cutting government spending, reducing excessive regulation and reducing bureaucracy. He named Elon Musk and Vivek Ramaswamy as co-heads of the department.
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When it comes to Trump, Bezos said at the Dealbook Summit that he feels the president-elect is “calmer, more confident and calmer than he was when we first started.”
Jeff Bezos. Photo credit: Eugene Gologursky/Getty Images for The New York Times
Bezos, who owns the Washington Post, also supported the paper’s choice not to endorse a presidential candidate this year. Bezos stood by his decision even though more than 200,000 subscribers canceled their subscriptions after the Washington Post did not endorse Trump or Kamala Harris.
“We just decided it’s not going to help…it’s not going to affect the election anyway,” he said at the Dealbook Summit. Supporting it, he added, would create prejudice and cause the Post to lose even more trust with its readers.
“We made the right decision,” he said. “I’m very proud of that decision.”
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