Before non-endorsement decision, Washington Post called Trump 'dreadful' and 'worst president of modern times'

The Washington Post editorial committee hasn't endorsed a azygous Republican for president implicit the past 50 years. It isn't endorsing 1 this cycle, either, but it's the information that it isn't endorsing Kamala Harris either that has caused yet different uproar at an elite media institution. 

"The victor of the predetermination is going to beryllium sitting down the thoroughfare from The Washington Post," longtime Post media writer Paul Farhi told Fox News Digital. "I mean, you don't deliberation you person an sentiment astir that? Sure you do. And truthful it conscionable makes it each the much funny and unusual that they should backmost disconnected this way."

A look astatine the paper's caller past and sum of Trump leaves nary uncertainty arsenic to wherever it stands connected the GOP standard-bearer, which it's called the worst president successful modern past who should person been removed from office aft the January 6 Capitol riot.

The Post announced connected Friday that it would not beryllium offering an endorsement successful the upcoming statesmanlike predetermination oregon immoderate aboriginal one, successful what steadfast Will Lewis said was a "returning to our roots." The Post had endorsed a Democrat for president successful each predetermination since 1976, but for erstwhile it skipped 1 successful 1988. The Los Angeles Times besides made waves this period aft deciding not to endorse for president successful spite of its wide antipathy toward Trump.

Republican statesmanlike nominee, erstwhile U.S. President Donald Trump speaks astatine a run rally astatine Madison Square Garden connected October 27, 2024 successful New York City. (Photo by Michael M. Santiago/Getty Images) (Getty Images)

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Had the Post's announcement been made a twelvemonth ago, it mightiness not person caused specified a stir. But 11 days earlier a consequential election, aft years of calling Trump an unfit disgrace, its determination acceptable disconnected acold fury astatine the insubstantial and unprecedented outrage from erstwhile Post luminaries.

At slightest 2 members of the Post's unit person resigned. Nineteen Post columnists person signed onto a missive condemning the decision, specifically calling connected Trump to beryllium identified arsenic a menace to the regularisation of instrumentality and the country. Subscribers person reportedly canceled by the hundreds and into the thousands. 

And the paper's national fretted that absorption was interfering with autarkic journalism, owed to reports that the Post's owner, Amazon main Jeff Bezos, forced the determination successful airy of Trump's imaginable instrumentality to power. 

Yet the paper's editorials could permission nary uncertainty arsenic to wherever it stands connected the 45th president and who should beryllium the 47th.

On Oct. 12, it castigated Trump's "insidious" rhetoric successful caller interviews and rallies. On Sept. 11, it said helium mislaid his statement to Kamala Harris connected "tone and substance." It's said successful caller months helium would govern "chaotically," that Harris is intelligibly "better" erstwhile comparing the 2 candidates, and that helium had a "reservoir of grievance" astatine his Republican information acceptance speech.

Billionaire Washington Post proprietor Jeff Bezos eportedly made the determination to quash immoderate White House endorsement successful 2024.

He has an "extreme agenda" and is "unpredictable" and "outright dangerous," the Post argued earlier this twelvemonth erstwhile it feared then-presumptive Democratic nominee Joe Biden could suffer the race; helium would aboriginal measurement speech and beryllium replaced by Harris.

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In 2016 and 2020, the Post enthusiastically endorsed Hillary Clinton and Biden against Trump. It called him "dreadful" and "uniquely unqualified" successful 2016. In 2020, it referred to Trump arsenic "the worst president of modern times."

Farhi, who near the the Post aft 35 years successful 2023, is among those who was puzzled by the logic successful deciding not to connection an endorsement that would bespeak the newspaper's values, adjacent if it wouldn't determination the needle with voters.

"Let's accidental the Post, similar the New York Times, endorsed Harris, which it appears they were intending to bash until the involution by Bezos," Farhi told Fox News Digital. "Would anyone care? No 1 would attraction due to the fact that what bash you expect? The Post isn't going to endorse Trump, so, ohio they endorsed Harris? Well, The New York Times endorsed Harris astatine the extremity of September. It was not a large woody … I conscionable don't get the larger reasoning astir this."

In addition, Farhi noted, the Post's reporters person sharply probed and investigated Trump's rhetoric, policies, scandals, concern dealings and much implicit the years. Its motto, "Democracy Dies successful Darkness," was adopted successful 2017, soon aft Trump took office, though the insubstantial denied it was a nonstop effect to him.

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"The Post has a precise agelong way grounds of having written communicative aft communicative investigating Trump, and successful fact, tons of editorials astir Trump's behaviour and Trump's grounds successful office, truthful wherefore would an endorsement beryllium the happening that triggers Trump?" Farhi asked. 

The Washington Post editorial committee declined to endorse successful the statesmanlike contention betwixt Donald Trump and Kamala Harris, but its wide governmental thin is already obvious. (Left:  Photographer: Ting Shen/Bloomberg via Getty Images, Right: (Photo by Andrew Harnik/Getty Images) Right: (Photo by Win McNamee/Getty Images))

The Post has not wholly supported Harris either, criticizing her earlier this twelvemonth for her "gimmicks" connected the system specified arsenic a program to prohibition "price gouging," and offering up questions it would emotion to inquire her, specified arsenic wherefore she's changed truthful galore positions since her ill-fated 2020 superior campaign. 

But an endorsement of Harris was reportedly drafted and acceptable to people earlier Bezos pulled the plug. Instead of a afloat expected connection of enactment by a wide editorial committee that plainly views Trump arsenic a menace to the republic, an 11th-hour declaration of neutrality served lone to sow disorder and anger.

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"Today has been an implicit stab successful the back," left-wing Post columnist Karen Attiah wrote connected Friday. "What an insult to those of america who person virtually enactment our careers and lives connected the line, to telephone retired threats to quality rights and democracy."