Vice President-elect JD Vance says he once suggested a major staffing change at The Washington Post — by recommending a prominent right-leaning reporter for a top editorial role.
Speaking Thursday, Nov. 20, during an on-camera conversation with Breitbart News Washington Bureau Chief Matthew Boyle that aired on the White House video feed, Vance praised Boyle as “the most well-sourced journalist in Washington, D.C.” He then recounted texting Amazon founder and Post owner Jeff Bezos with a proposal to put Boyle in charge of the paper’s political coverage.
Vance said the message came amid internal debate at The Washington Post about how to better connect with conservative readers. Recalling that period, he said he texted Bezos something to the effect of: if the paper was serious about broadening its appeal, it should hire Boyle to run the entire political reporting operation.
Vance added that Breitbart leadership likely wasn’t thrilled with the idea — and noted that the Post never acted on his recommendation. Boyle remains at Breitbart, where he continues to serve as its Washington Bureau Chief.
Bezos has owned The Washington Post since 2013. His relationship with President Donald Trump has been strained at times, in part due to the newspaper’s political reporting. Still, Bezos attended Trump’s second inauguration in January 2025 alongside other high-profile billionaires such as Elon Musk and Mark Zuckerberg. Reports have also noted that Bezos donated $1 million to Trump’s inauguration and is among wealthy contributors supporting the construction of a new White House ballroom following the demolition of the East Wing.
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More recently, Bezos attended a black-tie dinner at the White House during the visit of Saudi Crown Prince Mohammad bin Salman. The visit drew criticism because bin Salman has been linked to the 2018 killing of journalist Jamal Khashoggi, who contributed to The Washington Post. The New York Times has reported that a C.I.A. investigation concluded the crown prince ordered the murder, a claim he has repeatedly denied.
During a press appearance with bin Salman on Tuesday, Nov. 18, Trump shut down questions about Khashoggi, saying the topic was being raised to embarrass the visiting leader and insisting bin Salman was not involved.
