[sime]

I think m52go's comment above is in the right direction. If Trump just announced a review of the postal service, or went on about what poor shape it was in, it wouldn't get much traction in the press and therefore in the publics' minds. So Amazon is a useful scapegoat to drum up publicity about the state of the postal service.

If meaningful beneficial changes come out of this review then they will be reported in the media in the context of his spat with Amazon, regardless of the impact on Amazon itself. Otherwise it's unlikely that those changes will be deemed newsworthy (because they aren't salacious and they don't directly affect people's lives), or if they are reported that they will be easily absorbed.

Linking any changes to the fight with Amazon provides a mental anchor with previous coverage given that any changes may take months to be put into place.

[alphabettsy]

Do you actually believe he would care about the USPS if not for his spat with Bezos? I don’t.

[sime]

Yes, if he feels that changes to it would affect how his performance is ultimately perceived in some tangible way. I suspect he cares more about that than the spat with his Bezos because it affects his legacy (brand). The spat with Bezos is just an added bonus.