Jeff Bezos Vs. Donald Trump: Taxes And The Media Are The Issue [Video]
Jeff Bezos has recently been under fire from Donald Trump, who claims Bezos uses his ownership of the Washington Post as a tool to attack him during his presidential run for 2016. Trump has also made nefarious claims that Bezos is getting away with antitrust tax violations.
According to USA Today, Trump claims that not only does Jeff Bezos use the Washington Post as a tool to get what he wants out of Washington politics, but he also skirts his responsibilities in taxes over at his home company, Amazon.
Although Trump started out his tirade on Jeff Bezos by using the Washington Post as a catalyst, he soon gravitated over to his founding company, Amazon, and accused the company of skirting tax laws and essentially benefitting off of American taxpayers. That is also something Wal-Mart has been accused of repeatedly over the past few years, which has been a major sticking point for advocates of the $15 minimum wage.
Trump accuses Jeff Bezos of wielding Washington Post as “political instrument” against him: https://t.co/UTrRmz5oZH pic.twitter.com/IMMl6q2Brb
— The Hill (@thehill) May 13, 2016
Furthermore, Donald Trump also claims that Jeff Bezos is using the Washington Post to sabotage his campaign because he believes that Bezos is scared Trump will come after him for antitrust law violations. This is something he told Fox News host Sean Hannity in an interview.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JJcTXR0J7Hk
“I would go after him (Jeff Bezos) for anti-trust because he has a huge anti-trust problem,” Trump told Hannity after referencing that over 20 reporters from the Washington Post have been assigned to dig into his personal life. “We can’t let him get away with it.”
Trump: I won’t turn over my taxes. I work to pay lower taxes.
Same day: Jeff Bezos pays taxes that are way too low.https://t.co/qOd1YKu5PY— Ben Shapiro (@benshapiro) May 13, 2016
Although antitrust is indeed a major violation of the public’s trust, it does seem to be convenient for Donald Trump to use those laws as a boxing glove against Jeff Bezos after he has learned that Bezos has allegedly instructed his team of journalists to look into Trump’s life, both personally and professionally.
Some might even think that Donald Trump is acting out in a vindictive way or even as a bully to squash any kind of negative press coverage for him that might be a roadblock for his quest to seek the Oval Office in Washington.
But then again, that is how politics have classically worked, especially in an election year. With that being said, if Donald Trump were to indeed take the White House in 2017, then there is also a good chance that he would not even have Jeff Bezos on his radar, unless, of course, Bezos used the Washington Post to dig up more dirt on him while in office.
Even by Trump standards, this con is creepy: @realDonaldTrump posed as his own spokesman, praising Trump. #DontheConhttps://t.co/sijOU6e5JU
— Paul Begala (@PaulBegala) May 13, 2016
But still, Donald Trump has taken issue with Jeff Bezos using the Washington Post to dig up information that the American public does indeed have the right to know.
Donald Trump on recording: It was not me https://t.co/IDOtye7HGS https://t.co/FGleDKJ2UF
— CNN Newsroom (@CNNnewsroom) May 13, 2016
“Every hour we’re getting calls from reporters from The Washington Post asking ridiculous questions,” Trump told Hannity, then theorized about what they plan to do with the information. “They’re slopping them together and they’re going to do a book. And the book is going to be all false stuff because the stories are so wrong.”
RNC’s @seanspicer responds to Donald Trump denying he posed as his own spokesman https://t.co/cUKP22LnPT https://t.co/CME3WOIfgI
— CNN Newsroom (@CNNnewsroom) May 13, 2016
According to the Seattle Times, there has been a presumptive theory that the Washington Post has either remained impartial or at least unbiased in their reporting.
The executive editor for the Washington Post, Martin Barron, released a short statement that simply said they have “received no instructions from Jeff Bezos” in regards to coverage of Donald Trump or any other candidates campaign. He further elaborated that the book was the decision that came directly out of the newsroom and not from any one person that holds a higher degree of authority.
In regards to Jeff Bezos and Amazon representatives, there has been no response as of yet to Donald Trump’s allegations. There is also a good chance that there will never be a response from Bezos or Amazon, considering this is not the first time that Trump has attacked them.
[Photo by Joe Raedle/Getty Images]
