Washington Post backs out of ‘Fire Elon Musk’ campaign as brands hesitate to take a political stance

The news: The Washington Post backed out of a $115,000 agreement with advocacy organizations Common Cause and Southern Poverty Law Center Action Fund to run a wraparound ad calling for President Donald Trump to “fire Elon Musk.”

  • Common Cause was told on Friday that the ad was being pulled, with The Washington Post declining to offer a reason.
  • The decision comes amid controversy surrounding Jeff Bezos’ ownership of The Post after the Amazon founder had a front-row seat at Trump’s inauguration and reportedly directed the paper to cancel its planned endorsement of Kamala Harris.

First Published on Feb 19, 2025