Jeff Bezos says he’s ‘very optimistic this time around’ about Trump

Jeff Bezos and President-elect Donald Trump famously didn’t get on the past clip Trump was successful the White House. This time, Bezos says he’s “very optimistic” and moreover wants to thief out.

“I’m really very optimistic this clip around,” Bezos said of Trump during a uncommon nationalist quality astatine The New York Times DealBook Summit connected Wednesday. “He seems to person a batch of power astir reducing regulation. If I tin thief him do that, I’m going to thief him.”

Trump railed against Bezos and his companies — Amazon, Blue Origin, and The Washington Post — during his 2016 term. Bezos defended himself but it did small to thief his estimation pinch Trump. Now, his companies person a batch astatine liking successful the coming administration, from the FTC’s antitrust suit against Amazon to Blue Origin’s efforts to compete pinch SpaceX for authorities contracts.

Onstage astatine the DealBook Summit connected Wednesday, Bezos called Trump “calmer this time” and “more settled.” He said he will effort to “talk him retired of” the thought that the press, which includes The Washington Post, is an force of the people.

“You’ve astir apt grown successful the past 8 years,” he said to DealBook’s Andrew Ross Sorkin. “He has, too.”

Bezos besides echoed Sam Altman’s comments earlier successful the day, saying he doesn’t expect Elon Musk to wield his caller governmental powerfulness with DOGE against rivals. “I’ve had a batch occurrence successful life not being cynical,” he said. “And I’ve seldom been taken advantage of arsenic a result.”

You tin watch Bezos’s speech pinch Andrew Ross Sorkin below: