Jeff Bezos was partying abroad as the crisis surrounding his refusal to use the Washington Post to endorse Kamala Harris unfolded.
The billionaire was joined by his wife Lauren Sanchez and Katy Perry as the Post was hit with 250,000 people canceling their subscriptions in protest of the decision.
Perry celebrated her 40th birthday in Venice with Bezos, Sanchez and her fiancé Orlando Bloom. Sanchez marked the occasion with an Instagram Story showing off the city’s canals, specifically tagging Perry — thanking her for “the best weekend.”
Days earlier, the Amazon owner caused a liberal meltdown, boosting the newspaper’s planned endorsement — a tradition that had been going on for decades.
As a result, he published an op-ed defending the decision, citing growing “distrust” of the media.
Jeff Bezos, 60, and wife Lauren Sanchez, 54, partied abroad as the crisis over his refusal to use the Washington Post to support Kamala Harris unfolded, it has been revealed
A still from Perry’s party at The Ritz Carlton in Switzerland for her 40th birthday party, which was attended by Sanchez. Insiders later confirmed that Bezos was in Europe with his fiancée to take part in the festivities, which saw Perry’s guests flown to the hotel.
“What presidential endorsements actually do is create a perception of bias,” the 60-year-old man worth about $206.2 billion wrote on Monday.
‘A perception of non-independence. Ending it is a decision of principle, and it is the right decision.”
Three days earlier, Post CEO Will Lewis issued a memo announcing the lack of an endorsement — the first time the newspaper would not air one since 1988.
It sparked immediate reaction among the Post’s readership, but also intrigue among Post employees about Bezos’ whereabouts.
Reporting carried out by The New York Times Last weekend it emerged that Bezos was involved, Monday around 12:30 p.m., the tabloid said Hello! his location nailed down.
The website wrote: ‘Although the pop star has several famous friends in her circle, it was her close friend [Sanchez] who was by her side for a luxurious and beautiful festive outing,” as she shared snippets of the Instagram story taken from a boat in Venice.
Hours later, an insider described as a “person who knew Bezos” confirmed Semafor that Bezos had been in Europe with his fiancée to celebrate Perry’s birthday.
Hello! billed the Venice location, before Perry took her closest friends to Geneva for a 1940s-themed party.
Sanchez marked the occasion with an Instagram story showcasing the city’s main canals, specifically tagging Perry – thanking her for ‘the best weekend’
Held at the Ritz Carlton, the singer was seen jokingly waving a mini syringe with ‘OzempiKP’ written on it, referring to her recent weight loss.
It is unclear whether Bezos and Sanchez are in the photo, which is circulating on social media.
The couples have been spotted on holiday together in the past – last year in Croatia with Usher, and this year on Bezos’ superyacht for a top party, alongside Leonardo DiCaprio.
While this recent foray was taking place, the fallout from the Post’s inability to endorse Harris was taking hold, with a reported quarter of a million readers canceling their subscriptions within days.
The number represents ten percent of the newspaper’s total digital subscription base.
Among them was The Wire creator David Simon, who labeled Bezos a “technobrat oligarch.”
A flood of resignations followed, with outgoing Post Opinion Editor Robert Kagan claiming the decision stemmed from a quid pro quo with the Donald Trump campaign after Blue Origin executives were seen meeting with Trump last week.
The Post’s decision last week sparked almost immediate backlash — and intrigue among Post employees about Bezos’ whereabouts after he was linked to the decision.
Bezos published an extensive op-ed on Monday evening explaining his newspaper’s decision not to endorse Kamala Harris for the election.
Another columnist, Michelle Norris, also walked out on Sunday, writing on X that the decision was a “terrible mistake.”
Blue Origin is Bezos’ space company and the meeting took place after a speech by Trump on Thursday in Austin, Texas.
The Post denied that the meeting had anything to do with their decision, which was delivered in the form of a note from publisher Will Lewis, which irritated several staffers.
“We recognize that this will be read in a variety of ways, including as a tacit endorsement of one candidate, or as a condemnation of another, or as an abdication of responsibility,” Lewis wrote, before Bezos would later address the unfolding situation. crisis with his op-ed.
“That’s inevitable,” Lewis continued. ‘We don’t see it that way. We see it as consistent with the values The Post has always stood for.”
Twenty columnists subsequently wrote their own op-ed on the newspaper’s website, calling the decision “a terrible mistake.”
“The Washington Post’s decision not to endorse the presidential campaign… means abandoning the fundamental editorial beliefs of the newspaper we love,” it added.
The Post staffers wrote their own piece and published on the outlet that they believed the decision was a “terrible mistake”
A flurry of resignations followed, including those of outgoing Post Opinion Editor Robert Kagan and columnist Michele Norris
“This is a moment for the institution to make clear its commitment to democratic values, the rule of law and international alliances, and the threat posed by Donald Trump… the precise points The Post made in supporting Trump’s opponents in 2016 and 2020.
Bezos bought the Post in 2013 for $250 million. The newspaper has supported Hillary Clinton and Joe Biden in the past
In his op-ed this week, he wrote that “there is no quid pro quo at work here,” in response to now swirling accusations that his people were influenced by the Trump team.
“Neither campaign nor candidate was consulted or informed at any level about this decision. It was created entirely internally,” he wrote in the piece.
“I sighed when I found out because I knew it would provide ammunition for those who want to see this as anything other than a decision of principle.
“But the fact is that I knew nothing about the meeting beforehand,” the trading queen continued.
‘Even Limp knew nothing about it beforehand; the meeting was quickly scheduled that morning.
In his op-ed this week, Bezos wrote that “there is no quid pro quo at work here” in response to the now swirling accusations that he was influenced by the Trump team.
“There is no connection between this and our decision on presidential endorsements, and any suggestion otherwise is false.”
Meanwhile, his newspaper is now in the midst of a surprising subscriber decline, having finally regained some readership following Biden’s withdrawal from the race.
Previously, the country was plagued by budget cuts and loss of talent, which made the future all the more uncertain.
The Times confirmed on Sunday that Bezos played a major role in the decision, after speaking to insiders familiar with the matter.