Billionaire Amazon founder Jeff Bezos is the latest tech mogul to offer a new wave of support to Donald Trump’s incoming presidency, backing the former president’s plans to reduce government regulation and signaling his willingness to collaborate.
Speaking at the New York Times’ DealBook Summit on Wednesday, the businessman and Washington Post owner described himself as “very optimistic this time” about Trump’s economic and technology strategy.
“I’m very optimistic that President Trump is serious about this regulatory agenda,” Bezos said. “If I can help you do that, I will, because we have too much regulation in this country.”
The intervention marks a dramatic change from their previously antagonistic relationship. During Trump’s first term, the former president repeatedly attacked Bezos, criticizing Amazon and the Washington Post for alleged tax evasion and biased reporting.
Bezos also defended his recent controversial decision to block the Washington Post from endorsing Democratic candidate Kamala Harris, a move that reportedly cost the newspaper about 10% of its subscriber base. He described the decision as “far from cowardly,” arguing that the newspaper needed to maintain some form of independence.
This political repositioning also comes as other tech leaders, notably Elon Musk of X and Tesla, Mark Zuckerberg of Meta, and Sam Altman of OpenAI, have also voiced their support for Trump. Musk has contributed nearly $75 million to a pro-Trump political action committee and is now set to co-lead the so-called “Department of Government Efficiency” aimed at cutting wasteful government spending. Last week, Zuckerberg dined with Trump at his Mar-a-Lago estate and is believed to be looking for a location to influence the incoming president’s technology policy.
Still, technological collaboration between the private sector and the government is not exactly new. While the Biden administration went after Apple this year On top of monopolistic practices, he also developed the broad AI executive order of 2023 that was partly geared toward technology regulation and helped guide the Chip Law through Congress to become law.
Amazon, Meta and OpenAI are also part of a consortium of technology companies in a US government-led initiative to address AI safety regulations.
As for business relations, Bezos’s pivot appears strategically motivated, with his space company, Blue Origin, potentially positioned to compete for federal contracts in a future Trump administration.
The tech mogul also described Trump as having undergone a personal metamorphosis, describing him as “calmer, more confident and calmer.” He even expressed a desire to moderate Trump’s approach to media relations, saying he would try to convince the former president that “the press is not the enemy.”
“You know, you’ve probably grown in the last eight years,” Bezos said at the event. “He has done it too.”