Jeff Bezos, owner of The Washington Post, attended the premiere of "Melania," a $40 million documentary about the first lady, with President Donald Trump on Saturday night as his reporters begged him not to make steep cuts to the legendary newsroom, according to a new report.
David Folkenflik, NPR's media correspondent, reported on Sunday that WaPo's international correspondents sent Bezos a letter pleading with him to maintain the paper's international coverage. The letter was sent as speculation was building that large-scale layoffs were imminent at the paper.
"We urge you to consider how these proposed layoffs will certainly lead us first to irrelevance and later extinction — not the shared success that remains attainable," the letter reads in part.
The letter was sent the day after Bezos attended the White House movie night. According to Folkenflik, Melania Trump was paid the "lion's share" of the $40 million licensing fee for Amazon Prime, which is owned by Bezos, to produce the documentary.
Trump has become increasingly hostile to the press during his second term. He has called publications that report on his health "illegal" and said they should be shut down.