Washington Post cartoonist resigns after Bezos cartoon removed from paper

A Washington Post cartoonist announced she left the paper this week because it rejected her caricature of Amazon founder and Post owner Jeff Bezos groveling in front of President-elect Trump.

Cartoonist Ann Telnaes wrote on her Substack page on Friday that she was resigning from the media, accusing it of boosting the cartoon because it criticized the billionaire.

In the article “Why I’m Leaving the Washington Post,” Telnaes said, “I’ve had editorial comments and productive conversations — and some differences — about the cartoons I submitted for publication, but throughout this time, I’ve never had a cartoon killed off because of who or what I chose to aim my pen at until now.”

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The cartoonist shared a draft of the never-before-seen drawing, which depicted Bezos and other unspecified wealthy businessmen genuflecting and handing bags of money to the new president. Mickey Mouse prostrated himself on the ground next to them, apparently a representation of Disney’s supposed subservience to Trump.

Telnaes explained his cartoon, saying: “The cartoon that was killed criticizes the billionaire tech and media CEOs who did their best to curry favor with new President-elect Trump. »

Despite a thorny relationship between the two over the years, Bezos expressed support for Trump following his 2024 election victory. Following Election Day, the Amazon owner told reporters he was “very optimistic » regarding Trump’s regulatory agenda.

Bezos recently pledged to donate $1 million to Trump’s inauguration fund. He also had dinner with the new president at his Mar-a-Lago residence in December.

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Bezos also angered liberals, including Post staff, just before the election by making the decision that the paper would not give a presidential endorsement.

Other prominent tech moguls have met with Trump in the months since his victory, including Mark Zuckerberg, CEO of Meta Platforms, Sundar Pichai, CEO of Alphabet, and Tim Cook, CEO of Apple.

Telnaes’ reference to Disney appears to be a dig at the company being cited as a factor behind ABC News’ recent $15 million settlement with Trump earlier this month.

In his Substack article, Telnaes continued to proclaim his belief that the Post crushed the cartoon because of its political nature. She wrote: “To be clear, there have been instances where sketches were rejected or revisions requested, but never because of the point of view inherent in the cartoon commentary. This is a game changer… and is dangerous for a free press. »

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“As a cartoonist, my job is to hold powerful people and institutions accountable. For the first time, my editor prevented me from doing this essential work. So I have decided to leave the Post,” said she added.

However, Washington Post editorial page editor David Shipley – who admitted to making the decision to publish it himself – denied her accusation that the Post killed the cartoon for political reasons, saying in a recent statement that he had done so to avoid a “repeat” of the caricature. a story.

He said: “Not all editorial judgments are a reflection of a malevolent force. My decision was guided by the fact that we had just published a column on the same subject as the cartoon and had already scheduled another column – this one being a satire – for publication. The only prejudice was against repetition. »

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Telnaes has not yet responded to Fox News Digital’s request for comment.

Aubrie Spady and Aislinn Murphy of Fox News Digital contributed to this report.