Trump wants to kill the United States Postal Service.
The president-elect was asked about the USPS losing money during a press conference in Palm Beach on Monday.
“Well there is talk about the Postal Service being taken private, you do know that. Not the worst idea I’ve ever heard, it really isn’t,” Trump said. “You know it’s a lot different today … between Amazon and UPS and FedEx and all the things that you didn’t have. But there is talk about that, it’s an idea that a lot of people have liked for a long time. We’re looking at it.”
The comments confirm a Washington Post report from over the weekend that Trump is considering plans to privatize the entire Postal Service due to its financial losses. He has reportedly spoken about the idea to Howard Lutnick, his commerce secretary pick and head of his transition team.
USPS privatization has been in the works for some time now. Trump-appointed Postmaster General Louis DeJoy has been doing his best to corrode one of the oldest, constitutionally ensured institutions in this country.
On-time delivery rates fell when DeJoy was appointed in 2020, particularly in communities of color. He facilitated the removal and destruction of mail sorting machines that were crucial to allowing USPS to function smoothly. And he has multiple questionable investments. Last week, he even covered his ears while being grilled by congressional Republicans for dismantling USPS from the inside out.
“Louis DeJoy is the perfect example of a Trump nominee. After Trump appointed him, he ran USPS into the ground. Now, he claims it doesn’t work & will propose privatizing it,” one X commentator wrote. “Then, he, Trump & their cronies will steal the business, charge exorbitant amounts & rape the public.”
“The Postal Service is literally in the Constitution. It’s an essential PUBLIC service, and it should never be privatized. This would hurt millions of Americans, especially those in the most rural places,” Minnesota Senator Tina Smith said.