The Washington Post is facing turmoil after a cartoonist resigns and staff members leave.

After a long-term cartoonist at The Washington Post resigned, Axios reporter Alex Thompson stated on CNN that the paper is in "disarray."

Ann Telnaes, a Pulitzer Prize-winning cartoonist, departed from the Post after the paper rejected her artwork depicting Jeff Bezos, the Amazon founder and Post owner, humbly submitting to President-elect Trump.

The Washington Post has undergone a significant transformation since the first Trump administration, with the decision not to endorse in the 2024 presidential race and numerous staff departures leaving the institution in disarray. According to Thompson, the Post is now in a very different place.

Since 2008, Telnaes has worked as a cartoonist for the Washington Post. However, after the paper killed her cartoon, which depicted Bezos and other wealthy businessmen kneeling down and holding up bags of money to the incoming president, Mickey Mouse is shown bowing down to Trump on the floor next to them, Telnaes announced via Substack that she was quitting.

On Election Day, Vice President Kamala Harris received the endorsement of the Washington Post's editorial board, despite Bezos' earlier efforts to prevent it. Several staffers had resigned in protest prior to the endorsement.

If she quit due to a conservative cartoon being denied publication by her bosses, that would show real courage, said CNN contributor Brad Todd on Monday.

"Jeff Bezos, Mark Zuckerberg, and others were giving money to Joe Biden in the last administration, but this was not the subject of a cartoon. Instead, it was an ideological problem. The Post deserves it."

Earlier in the discussion, CNN host Kasie Hunt stated that the individuals depicted in the cartoon were Mark Zuckerberg of Meta, Sam Altman of OpenAI, and Patrick Soon-Shing, the owner of the Los Angeles Times, who also refrained from endorsing a presidential candidate this election cycle.

Telnaes stated in her Substack article, "Why I’m Quitting the Washington Post," that she has had productive conversations and editorial feedback about her cartoons, but never had one killed due to the subject matter. However, this has changed as she recently had a cartoon rejected because of the person or thing she targeted.

Telnaes described her artwork, saying, "The cartoon depicts the billionaire tech and media executives who are trying to win over President-elect Trump's favor."

It seems that Telnaes' Disney reference may be a criticism of the company being implicated in the $15 million settlement with Trump by ABC News earlier this month.

In her Substack article, Telnaes maintained that the Post suppressed her cartoon due to its political message. She stated, "It's important to note that sketches have been rejected or revisions requested in the past, but never because of the political perspective conveyed in the cartoon's commentary. This is a significant shift...and poses a threat to a free press."

Planet Chronicle' Gabriel Hays contributed to this report.