June 19, 2026 Amazon founder Jeff Bezos reportedly described his ownership of The Washington Post as the worst investment of his life during a dinner with U.S. President Donald Trump in December 2024. According to an upcoming book by New York Times journalists Jonathan Swan and Maggie Haberman, Bezos complained about staff at the newspaper and expressed frustration over his inability to influence the organization.
The book, Regime Change: Inside the Imperial Presidency of Donald Trump, is scheduled for release on June 23. An excerpt reviewed ahead of publication alleges that Bezos told Trump: “The people there are terrible. They don’t listen. My other companies, they listen.”
The reported comments came just months before The Washington Post laid off more than 300 employees. Bezos has owned the newspaper since 2013.
According to the authors, Bezos pointed to significant financial losses at the publication. The newspaper reportedly lost $100 million in 2024, a figure Bezos has cited as a reason for downsizing efforts.
The book also revisits Bezos’ involvement in editorial decisions at the newspaper. In the weeks leading up to the 2024 U.S. election, he reportedly intervened to stop a planned endorsement of Kamala Harris. In February 2025, Bezos also said the newspaper’s opinion section would focus on supporting and defending “personal liberties and free markets.”
Swan and Haberman wrote that Trump recalled Bezos telling him he had lost half his friends because of the investment. The authors said Bezos later clarified that description, saying he had not lost friends but that people close to him had encouraged him to sell the newspaper.
Following publication of excerpts from the book, a Washington Post spokesperson disputed the interpretation of Bezos’ remarks. According to the spokesperson, the full quote referred specifically to employees on the business side of the newspaper rather than the newsroom itself.
The Washington Post has faced significant challenges in recent years, including financial losses, staff reductions and subscriber departures. The upcoming book offers a new account of Bezos’ private views on the publication and the difficulties he has faced since acquiring the nearly 150-year-old newspaper.
Neither Bezos nor The Washington Post publicly commented beyond the spokesperson’s statement regarding the reported remarks.
