Jeff Bezos: Trump’s Attacks on the Media Are ‘Dangerous,’ He Should Welcome Criticism
Amazon founder Jeff Bezos has joined those condemning President Trump‘s attacks on the media as “dangerous” to the country.
During a dinner event last night at the Economic Club of Washington, Bezos ended up answering a number of questions, some of which pertained to how he responds to public criticism. Since the president is among his most prominent detractors, Bezos eventually made the point that its a “mistake” when politicians demonize the press.
“What the president should say is, ‘This is right, I’m glad I’m being scrutinized.’ That would be so secure and confident,” Bezos said. “But it is really dangerous to demonize the media. It is dangerous to call the media lowlifes, it is dangerous to say that they are the enemy of the people.”
Trump has sparked one-sided fights with Bezos on multiple occasions. The president frequently accuses Amazon of unfairly taking advantage of the postal system, and, since Bezos owns Washington Post, he also demeans the paper by calling it Amazon’s personal lobbying firm.
Bezos said he didn’t feel the need to defend Amazon, but he did take time to defend the Post. He went on to say that attacks on the media have a negative impact on “healthy” societal norms since public officials are supposed to be able to deal with scrutiny.
“We live in a society where it’s not just the laws of the land that protect us,” Bezos said. “It’s also social norms that protect us. And every time you attack that, you’re eroding it a little bit around the edges.”
[Photo via Getty Images]
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