Bezos to Trump: It's demonizing the media

The CEO of Amazon and Washington Post's owner, Jeff Bezos, criticized President Donald Trump about his critics of the press on Thursday night, saying his rhetoric calling the media "the enemy of the people" erodes the freedom of press.

"It's a mistake for an elected official, in my opinion … to attack the media and journalists.I think it's an essential part of our democracy," said Mr. Bezos. during an on-stage interview organized by the Economic Club of Washington.

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"What the president should say is," That's right. It's good. I'm happy to be scrutinized, "he said." But it's really dangerous to demonize the media. It's dangerous to call the lowlifes media. It is dangerous to say that they are "the enemy of the people" ".

Bezos bought the post in 2013 with $ 250 million of his personal fortune and has since injected new capital and new ambitions into the region's largest media.

But his ownership of the newspaper has provoked constant indignation on the part of Trump, who is opposed to newspaper coverage by the newspaper and falsely claims to act as an advocate for the cause of Amazon. The United States accuses Amazon of avoiding taxes, destroying traditional retailers and hijacking US postal services.

Bezos said he "does not feel the need to defend Amazon" against Trump, but that he will defend the post.

Asked at another point about speculation that Amazon would choose the Washington area for its coveted second headquarters, Bezos was upset.

"The answer is very simple: we will announce a decision before the end of this year," he told the audience, including Washington, DC, Mayor Muriel Bowser and Maryland Governor Larry Hogan. "The team is working on their goal."

The crowd was visibly disappointed.

"No, no, be nice!" Bezos chided with laughter.

Virginia Governor Ralph Northam was also scheduled to participate in the event, but was forced to cancel his participation in preparations for Hurricane Florence.

Anticipation is at its peak as Amazon prepares to announce the location of its "HQ2" after a year – long search process that has pushed the country 's cities to offer tax and business benefits. other incentives to attract the company. Amazon is expected to employ 50,000 people and invest $ 5 billion in its new home, promising the winning jurisdiction a huge economic boost.

Three sites in the Washington area – northern Virginia, Montgomery County, and the District of Columbia – are among the top 20 finalists. This gives rise to intense speculation among business leaders and local political leaders that Bezos would choose to locate here.

Feed speculation about the chances of the DC region: Bezos and other members of the Amazon board of directors held a meeting in Washington this week.

Before Bezos appeared at the Washington Hilton, about two dozen protesters organized by the local branch of the Democratic Socialists of America chanted anti-Amazon slogans outside the hotel and broadcast posters such as "Block Bezos" and "Amazon Tax. "They objected to local leaders offering any financial incentive to the company.

Earlier Thursday, Bezos – the richest person in the world – pledged $ 2 billion to fight homelessness and build nursery schools in low-income neighborhoods. It represents the largest philanthropic gift known to date by the renowned technician and represents 1.2% of its net worth, which the Bloomberg Billionaires index puts at $ 164 billion.

But Bezos and his society have been strained on both sides of the political spectrum even as they have accumulated increasing wealth and influence. Last week, Amazon became the second US company – after Apple – to reach $ 1 trillion in market value.

At its current headquarters in Seattle, Amazon has received much criticism earlier this year by opposing a business tax that would have generated revenue to provide affordable housing and fight homelessness. City Council rescinded the measure after the company said the tax made it reconsider its expansion plans in Seattle.

Complaints about the treatment of workers by society inspired Senator Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.) And Rep. Ro Khanna (D-Calif.) To introduce a bill last week aimed at pushing large companies to pay their employees they nicknamed the "Stop BEZOS Act".

Amazon already has a significant presence in the Washington area. The cloud computing division of Amazon Web Services, which sponsors Thursday's dinner in Bezos, employs thousands of people in northern Virginia and is actively pursuing contracts with the US government.

Bezos is also the owner of Washington's largest house, a former textile museum.