JD Vance Texted Jeff Bezos About Putting Right-Wing Breitbart Journalist in Charge of Washington Post’s Political Coverage

JD Vance says he once offered Jeff Bezos a blunt suggestion about how to shake up The Washington Post — and even proposed a specific person to lead the change.

In an interview broadcast on the White House video feed on Thursday, Nov. 20, the 41-year-old vice president spoke with Breitbart News Washington Bureau Chief Matthew Boyle. During their conversation, Vance praised Boyle as one of the best-connected reporters in the capital and said he previously urged Bezos to bring him into a top role at the newspaper.

Vance recalled a moment when the Post was publicly wrestling with how to broaden its reach beyond liberal audiences. He said he reached out to Bezos directly with a simple recommendation.

“Maybe six months ago… maybe it was a year, year and a half ago,” Vance said, describing debate inside the Post about how to connect with readers who don’t align with progressive politics. He added that he texted Bezos suggesting that if the newspaper was serious about that mission, it should hire Boyle and put him in charge of its political reporting.

Vance joked that his idea probably didn’t thrill Breitbart leadership, and he noted that the Post ultimately didn’t act on it.

Bezos has owned The Washington Post since 2013. Over that stretch, his relationship with Donald Trump has been uneven, shaped in part by the paper’s political coverage. Still, Bezos attended Trump’s second inauguration in January 2025 alongside other high-profile billionaires, including Elon Musk and Mark Zuckerberg. Reports have also said Bezos donated $1 million to Trump’s inauguration and was among wealthy contributors helping fund a new White House ballroom project following the demolition of the East Wing.

More recently, Bezos was among prominent guests at 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. A C.I.A. investigation concluded that bin Salman ordered Khashoggi’s death, according to The New York Times.

Bin Salman has denied involvement. When asked about the matter during a press briefing with the crown prince on Tuesday, Nov. 18, Trump pushed back, telling reporters that Khashoggi was a polarizing figure and insisting the crown prince had no role in the murder.