Amazon CEO Jeff Bezos says President Donald Trump’s demonizing the media is “dangerous,” eroding public trust and press freedoms.
Asked about Trump’s repeated criticism of the Washington Post and Amazon (AMZN) in a conversation with David Rubenstein at the Economic Club of Washington on Thursday evening, Bezos called it a mistake for any elected official to “attack media and journalists.”
What Trump “should say (of criticism) is, ‘This is right, this is good. I am glad I am being scrutinized,’ and that would be so secure and confident,” Bezos said. “But it is really dangerous to demonize the media. It is dangerous to call the media lowlifes, it is dangerous to say that they are the enemy of the people.”
“The media is going to be fine. We’re going to push through this,” added Bezos, who purchased the Washington Post Company for $250 million in 2013. Bezos said he does not “feel the need to defend Amazon” against Trump, but that he will defend the Post.
President Donald Trump has called the newspaper the “Amazon Washington Post,“ a barb accusing the Bezos of using it to advance his company’s interests. Bezos said on stage at the Economic Club, “I’ll keep my conversations with the president to myself,” he said. “But, yes, I’ve had a couple of conversations with him.”
Also during the discussion with Rubenstein, head of private equity firm Carlyle Group, Bezos confirmed Amazon will announce the location of its second headquarters by the end of this year, but declined to say which of the 20 finalist cities it might be.