Jeff Bezos blocking Kamala Harris's endorsement? Staffers ‘restless’ over Washington Post’s silence

Insiders believe Bezos may be avoiding alienating Trump as the election approaches, leaving the editorial board's endorsement in limbo.

The Washington Post is feeling the pressure as staffers are growing ‘restless’ over the paper’s radio silence on endorsing Vice President Kamala Harris for the presidency. Whispers in the newsroom suggest that owner Jeff Bezos might be the one pulling the strings—possibly to avoid stepping on the toes of the former president. While the editorial board has reportedly penned an endorsement ready to go, it seems Bezos and Publisher Will Lewis are playing a game of “who can wait the longest?”

Lauren Sanchez, left, and Jeff Bezos arrive at the Vanity Fair Oscar Party. (Evan Agostini/Invision/AP)

Is Jeff Bezos holding Kamala Harris's endorsement?

We are just days away from the US 2024 presidential election, where Donald Trump will be eyeing the White House for a second term while facing his much younger opponent, Kamala Harris, the current Vice President, who joined the race after Joe Biden stepped down.

While major media outlets, celebrities, and political pundits have already made their endorsements, The Washington Post seems to be holding back. According to the New York Post, some insiders believe that billionaire Amazon founder Jeff Bezos, who has maintained silence on elections so far, may be wary of “alienating Trump as he gains traction in his bid to reclaim the presidency next month.”

Trump and Harris are currently tied in a neck-and-neck competition according to recent polls and surveys. While the polls in key swing states and the national average lean in Harris’s favor, Trump, who was earlier convicted in the Hush Money trial, is gaining ground in betting markets, which are believed to provide more real-time updates compared to traditional polls.

Staffers growing ‘restless’ over the silence

In his new outlet, Status, former CNN media observer Oliver Darcy revealed that the Washington Post has already drafted its endorsement for the Democratic candidate but has yet to receive the green light from owner Jeff Bezos and Publisher Will Lewis.

This delay has left the Post's staff baffled, especially with “20 million voters having already cast their ballots and Election Day looming less than two weeks away.” Given the newspaper's history of supporting Democratic figures like Hillary Clinton and Joe Biden, their hesitance to endorse Kamala Harris raises eyebrows about their commitment to the party.

The Washington Post's lack of support for Kamala Harris is different from the mess at the Los Angeles Times, where the editorial board couldn't go ahead with their approval because of rich guy Dr. Patrick Soon-Shiong stepping in. This ended with editor Mariel Garza quitting over it. Soon-Shiong shared on social media that he'd rather see a fair look at what each candidate has to say, so readers can decide for themselves. A lot of rich businesspeople are staying away from giving political thumbs-up votes, probably to dodge any drama and not turn off possible winners.

Billionaires backing 2024 Presidential candidates

Elon Musk has openly supported Trump ever since the first assassination attempt on him in Pennsylvania, continuing to stand by him and even rallying for his campaign. Trump is also maintaining a solid grip on endorsements from Silicon Valley. However, Forbes reports that Kamala Harris has more billionaire support than Trump, counting figures like Bill Gates, Michael Bloomberg, and Vinod Khosla among her backers, along with Seth Klarman, Henry Laufer, and Stephen Mandel, Jr., to name a few. Meanwhile, Trump claimed in an interview with New York Magazine that Mark Zuckerberg told him he couldn’t “vote for a Democrat in this election.”

However, a Meta spokesperson clarified that Zuckerberg is “not endorsing anybody in this race and has not communicated to anyone how he intends to vote.”