OPINION: This article may contain commentary which reflects the author's opinion.
Billionaire Jeff Bezos wished former President Donald Trump “big congratulations” on his presidential election win.
Bezos started Amazon and owns Blue Origin, The Washington Post, and the space company Blue Origin. He has been one of the richest people in the world for most of the twenty-first century.
“Big congratulations to our 45th and now 47th President on an extraordinary political comeback and decisive victory,” Bezos wrote on social platform X. “No nation has bigger opportunities. Wishing [Trump] all success in leading and uniting the America we all love.”
Interestingly, Bezos praised Trump because he owns the Washington Post and caused a stir last month when he decided not to back either candidate for the 2024 White House.
After the Post’s editorial board wrote an opinion supporting Vice President Harris, the media and tech mogul wouldn’t let the paper print the endorsement.
The move shocked everyone in the Post’s newsroom, and politicians and the media were worried that Bezos, who is one of the richest people in the world, was trying to get Trump to like him.
In an opinion piece that came out in the Post soon after the news that the paper would not be endorsing a candidate, Bezos fought back against those claims.
“What presidential endorsements actually do is create a perception of bias. A perception of non-independence. Ending them is a principled decision, and it’s the right one,” Bezos wrote.
“I would also like to be clear that no quid pro quo of any kind is at work here,” the billionaire continued. “Neither campaign nor candidate was consulted or informed at any level or in any way about this decision. It was made entirely internally.”
Big congratulations to our 45th and now 47th President on an extraordinary political comeback and decisive victory. No nation has bigger opportunities. Wishing @realDonaldTrump all success in leading and uniting the America we all love.
— Jeff Bezos (@JeffBezos) November 6, 2024
President-elect Donald Trump said “God spared [his] life for a reason” during his victory speech at Trump Headquarters early Wednesday morning.
Trump, who has been the target of two assassination attempts since July, shared his appreciation for a second presidency during his 25-minute speech from West Palm Beach, Florida.
“This is a magnificent victory for the American people that will allow us to make America great again. And in addition to having won the battleground states of North Carolina — I love these places — Georgia, Pennsylvania, and Wisconsin, we are now winning in Michigan, Arizona, Nevada, and Alaska, which would result in us carrying at least 315 electoral votes. But it’s much easier doing what the networks did, or whoever called it, because there was no other path. There was no other path to victory. We also have won the popular vote. That was great. That was great,” Trump said as the crowd cheered and chanted “USA! USA!”
“Many people have told me that God spared my life for a reason, and that reason was to save our country and to restore America to greatness,” Trump said. “And now we are going to fulfill that mission together.”
“Thank you. Thank you very much. Winning the popular vote was very nice, I will tell you. It’s a great feeling of love. We have a great feeling of love in this very large room, with unbelievable people standing by my side. These people have been incredible. They have made the journey with me and we are going to make you very happy. We will make you very proud of your vote,” he said.
“I hope that you’re going to be looking back someday and say, ‘That was one of the truly important moments of my life, when I voted for this group of people, beyond the president. This group of great people.’ America has given us an unprecedented and powerful mandate. We have taken back control of the Senate. Wow, that’s great,” Trump declared.
He continued: “The task before us will not be easy, but I will bring every ounce of energy, spirit, and fighting that I have in my soul to the job that you’ve entrusted to me.”
Speaking at the event, Vance also praised Trump and said, “We just witnessed the greatest political comeback in the history of the United States of America.”
“Under President Trump’s leadership, we’re never going to stop fighting for you, for your dreams, for the future of your children. And after the greatest political comeback in American history, we’re going to lead the greatest economic comeback in American history,” Vance added.
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“We are going to fix our borders, we are going to fix everything about our country. We made history for a reason tonight, and the reason is going to be just that. We overcame obstacles that nobody thought possible, and it’s now clear that we have achieved the most incredible political — look what happened. Is this crazy?” Trump declared.
“But it’s a political victory that our country has never seen before. Nothing like this. I want to thank the American people for the extraordinary honor of being elected your 47th president, and your 45th president,” he said.
