Democracy Dies in Darkness

Billionaires have a lot of possessions. But it turns out backbones are not one of them.

The Jeff Bezos-owned Washington Post announced Friday that it had opted to sit on the sidelines and not make an endorsement in the 2024 presidential contest, easily the most consequential election in modern American history. Publisher Will Lewis made the announcement while Bezos stayed mum. But given that it is Bezos’ newspaper, it is ultimately his decision. A spokesperson for the Amazon founder did not respond to multiple requests for comment.

The news comes after we first reported earlier this week that The Post's editorial board had completed its endorsement of Kamala Harris, but that staffers at the newspaper suspected Bezos was blocking it from publication. And it comes after billionaire Los Angeles Times owner Patrick Soon-Shiong blocked his newspaper from making an endorsement in the race.

To say that the moves from Bezos and Soon-Shiong are acts of cowardliness would be a tremendous understatement, given their roles as the stewards of cherished news institutions and the fact they are amongst the most powerful people in society who should defend it from sinister forces trying to seize power.

Bezos and Soon-Shiong own media outlets whose responsibility it is to speak truth to power. These institutions are tasked with shining a bright spotlight on corruption and anti-democratic figures. The Post's own slogan is, quite literally, "Democracy Dies in Darkness." But, with democracy on the line, Bezos and Soon-Shiong have chosen to preemptively bend the knee to an autocratic wannabe. They have shamefully abdicated their responsibilities.

"This is cowardice, a moment of darkness that will leave democracy as a casualty," Marty Baron, the former top editor of The Post, told me in a statement. "Donald Trump will celebrate this as an invitation to further intimidate The Post’s owner, Jeff Bezos (and other media owners). History will mark a disturbing chapter of spinelessness at an institution famed for courage."

Indeed, staffers currently at The Post are aghast at the lack of resolve from their owner, who had previously brushed off repeated attacks from Trump. "People are fucking livid," as one staffer candidly told me, adding that they are not aware of a single person "who is not angry."

David Shipley, who heads The Post's opinion section, said in a note to his enraged staff, which I obtained, that he will schedule a town hall to discuss the matter with them. Executive Editor Matt Murray, confronted during a meeting by his own furious news staff, told his troops that he was not consulted on the decision and only learned about it Thursday night, people familiar with the matter said.

The leaders of The Post will also now have to contend with the immense public fallout from the decision to avoid weighing in on the race. At a minimum, the outlet's reputation will suffer extensive harm. The newspaper will also likely take a financial hit. Droves of subscribers are almost certain to cancel, given that Bezos is signaling the newspaper's journalism can and will be compromised by threats from Trump. Over at the Times, Semafor's Max Tani reported that subscriber churn has surged in the wake of the Soon-Shiong’s refusal to make an endorsement.

The decisions from Bezos and Soon-Shiong are part of a larger trend amongst business leaders. The last wish of anyone in the business community is to land on Trump's so-called enemies list, given that he has made it abundantly clear he will weaponize government if he wins office to punish those who spoke out against him.

Many of these businesspeople have lucrative government contracts and/or foresee M&A deals that will fall before the Justice Department in the coming years. In other words, if Trump emerges victorious at the ballot box, he could — and likely would — use the power of government to make their lives miserable, potentially harming their companies to the tune of billions of dollars.

And so, in advance of a possible Trump presidency, a fair swath of society's most powerful have already begun to assume defensive stances, choosing to stay silent to avoid falling in Trump’s crosshairs. Instead of sounding the alarm about the Adolf Hitler-praising candidate who publicly talks about jailing Americans who speak out against him, they have chosen to self-sensor.

Trump hasn't even been elected to office yet and the powerful have already chosen to bow to pressure. Which raises an important question: What will happen if Trump actually ascends once again to the White House? How far will they bend the knee?