According to statements made by Goldman Sachs at its Tech and Internet Conference on Tuesday, the company was apparently very concerned that a Presidential intervention might put a stop to Amazon’s buyout of Whole Foods during just before its closing. The statements themselves were made by co-head of the firm’s investment banking division, Gregg Lemkau. For no less than four days, Lemkau says, the firm waited anxiously to see whether their worries would be realized. Although the concerns have not borne out, they apparently started with rumors that President Donald J. Trump would attempt to undermine the deal through the use of anti-trust policies, resulting in federal rejection of the buyout.
Of course, that didn’t ultimately happen and the $13.7 billion purchase has not been blocked. However, that doesn’t mean that Goldman Sachs’s fears were necessarily unreasonable. It isn’t exactly news to point out that Amazon’s CEO has been an outspoken proponent of the present administration and of Trump, in particular. Moreover, Bezos is the current owner of The Washington Post, which has also been critical of policies originating from the White House and the president. The less than cordial relationship between the two gives any rumor of intentions to trip up Bezos’s companies a substantial amount of weight. Beyond that, President Trump has not only been critical towards those who openly mock or criticize him, he has also historically taken legal action and implemented other steps to hinder their efforts or otherwise impede them. Combined with the fact that President Trump now has more pull when it comes to responding to criticism, Goldman Sachs’s concerns may have been completely understandable. What’s more, the firm is one the primary backer of Amazon in its buyout of the holistic living and health-oriented grocery chain.
In the meantime, the Trump administration has been alleged to be the driving force behind yet another merger – between AT&T and Time Warner. That’s thought to be the result of another feud involving the president since Time Warner is the owner of CNN, which has also been critical of the administration. The administrations statements about CNN, with Trump labeling the network as biased and a source of “fake news,” are claimed to be one reason that deal hasn’t gone through.