Jeff Bezos’ Amazon is reportedly donating $1 million to U.S. President-elect Donald Trump’s inaugural fund. The online retailer is said to air the event on its Prime Video service, an Amazon spokesperson revealed on Thursday.
The Prime Video represents an in-kind donation worth another $1 million, the spokesperson said. The donations were first reported by the Wall Street Journal.
Trump has expressed his displeasure with the coverage of his campaign and subsequent election by The Washington Post in 2016. The Washington Post, owned by Bezos, became one of the major media outlets critical of Trump during his first presidential campaign and throughout his first term in the office. The legacy publication ran numerous stories and investigations that seemed unfavorable to Trump, covering topics such as his business dealings, alleged ties to Russia, and his administration’s controversies.
This critical coverage led to tensions between Bezos and Trump, with Trump frequently attacking The Washington Post and accusing it of being biased against him.
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Trump used X, formerly Twitter, to call the newspaper “fake news” and claimed it was a vehicle for Bezos’ political agenda, particularly since Bezos owned the paper, which Trump implied had an influence on coverage that was negative toward him.
Trump’s attacks on Jeff Bezos and Amazon
Trump repeatedly attacked Amazon’s business practices, especially its use of the U.S. Postal Service (USPS) for deliveries. Trump claimed that Amazon was not paying its fair share of taxes, benefiting from the postal service’s subsidies, and undermining traditional brick-and-mortar retail businesses. These attacks, often mentioned during Trump’s 2016 campaign and presidency, were seen as indirect critiques of Bezos himself.
Trump even said that Amazon was hurting small businesses and costing jobs due to its dominance in the retail sector.
No direct campaign involvement
While Bezos did not actively participate in Trump’s campaigns or endorse him, he was indirectly involved through his media ownership. Bezos was not a supporter of Trump and did not contribute to Trump’s previous campaigns. His media outlet, The Washington Post, provided extensive coverage of Trump, which often clashed with the former president’s narrative.
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Trump and Bezos’s business interactions
There were occasional reports of behind-the-scenes interactions between Trump and Bezos, particularly related to business matters. Trump reportedly sought advice from Bezos about Amazon’s success and how he could replicate it in his own businesses. However, these interactions were not part of the political landscape and didn’t translate into any support for Trump’s campaigns.
In short, Bezos was neither involved in Trump’s campaigns nor offered any direct political support for the President-elect. But now as the new year is set to kick off with Trump’s second term, it seems that the streaming giant is putting aside old differences for a piece of the business pie.
No doubt, the upcoming inauguration of Trump will receive a record number of viewers, and it makes good business sense for Bezos to bury the hatchet with Trump through the donation and exclusive media coverage. Only time will reveal if more Trump-Bezos projects are to be expected.