Trump said last week that Bezos would visit him at his Florida mansion. Ahead of the meeting, Jeff Bezos pledged to donate $1 million to Donald Trump’s inaugural fund.
Elon Musk was also there.
A viral video showed Bezos and Trump dining together at the resort, with Tesla and SpaceX CEO Musk also attending the table.
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The billionaire is just one of several tech executives hoping to win Trump’s favor before taking office. According to the Wall Street Journal, Bezos has informed Trump’s team that he will donate $1 million to his first fund.
It’s worth noting that Jeff Bezos’ relationship with Trump has been rocky for years, but the tech mogul’s newspaper, The Washington Post, has refused to endorse any candidate in the 2024 election, breaking with its usual Democratic support. After the party tradition, relations seemed to improve.
In an interview at the New York Times DealBook Summit in New York earlier this month, the Amazon boss revealed that he was “optimistic” about a second Trump term.
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“I’m actually very optimistic this time,” Bezos said. “He seems to have a lot of energy dedicated to reducing regulations. If I can help, I will help him. “We do have too much regulation in this country,” Bezos added.
Trump and his relationship with tech leaders
Donald Trump has also expressed enthusiasm for reconnecting with business leaders ahead of his second term.
“I want to get ideas from them,” Trump said of his relationships with business leaders after ringing the bell at the New York Stock Exchange last week after being named Time magazine’s “Person of the Year.”
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“Listen, we want them to do well.”
Other tech leaders who have expressed a desire to work with Trump include OpenAI CEO Sam Altman, who also plans to donate $1 million, and TikTok CEO Shou Zi Chew, who also met with the president-elect this week.
Tech giant Musk, who has also been at the center of Trump’s reelection and transition efforts, urged Republicans on Wednesday to abandon a bloated spending bill that contains many Democratic provisions.