Marty Baron, former editor-in-chief of the Washington Post, lashed out at the newspaper’s “cowardice whose loss is democracy.”

Baron said Trump would view the decision as “an invitation to further intimidate” Bezos.

“Disturbing spinelessness in an institution renowned for its courage,” the Baron wrote to X.

Lewis said he acknowledged that the board’s decision “will be read in a variety of ways, including as an implied endorsement of one candidate, a condemnation of another, or an abdication of responsibility.”

“It’s inevitable,” Lewis said. “We don’t see it that way.”