To Beat Musk, Bezos Befriended Trump
7/16/202620 min
In his first term, President Trump called Jeff Bezos “Bozo.” But things have changed. The Amazon founder has gone from an avowed enemy of the president to an energetic ally. WSJ’s Dana Mattioli unpacks Bezos’ previously icy relationship with Trump and how he has turned things around. Jessica Mendoza hosts.
Further Listening:
- Are Trump and Musk Done for Good?
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Transcript preview
First 90 secondsJessica Mendoza· Host0:00
[upbeat music] For years, President Trump had an ongoing feud with one of the world's most powerful men, Jeff Bezos.
Dana Mattioli· Guest0:12
So this was really, uh, very much a tense relationship where Bezos received a lot of the ire from the president.
Jessica Mendoza· Host0:21
Our colleague, Dana Matioli, has been covering Trump's relationship with Bezos.
Dana Mattioli· Guest0:25
During the first Trump administration, this was a really fraught relationship. Amazon, The Washington Post, and specifically Bezos, was a very popular punching bag for Trump during those first four years. He often tweeted about those companies and Bezos. He would refer to Bezos as Bozo. He would claim that Amazon was a lobbying arm of The Washington Post.
Donald Trump· Soundbite0:51
But he bought The Washington Post to have political influence. And I gotta tell you, we have a different country than we used to have. We have a different... He owns Amazon. He wants political influence so that Amazon will benefit from it. That's not right.
Jessica Mendoza· Host1:09
[upbeat music] And Dana says there are two stories from Trump's first term that capture what these two men thought of each other.
Dana Mattioli· Guest1:17
So it's in 2017. Um, Anthony Scaramucci had just started as the communications director for the White House that day, in a very notoriously short stint [laughs] as that,