Jeff Bezos appears to be leveraging the recent public feud between President Donald Trump and Elon Musk, according to a report from The Wall Street Journal.
The Amazon founder has reportedly had two conversations with Trump this month, where discussions included securing additional government contracts for his space venture, Blue Origin. In addition, Blue Origin CEO Dave Limp met with Trump’s chief of staff, Susie Wiles, at the White House. Bezos even invited Trump to his upcoming wedding in Venice, Italy.
The Musk-Trump Feud and Its Fallout
The interactions between Bezos and Trump come after days of sharp exchanges on social media between Musk and the president. Musk accused Trump of being “in the Epstein files,” suggesting this was why certain information was not made public. Trump, in response, threatened to revoke “billions and billions of dollars” in government subsidies and contracts awarded to Musk’s companies.
Though the feud quickly cooled, Bezos seems to have recognized an opening for Blue Origin.
Trump recently withdrew his nomination of Musk’s preferred candidate to lead NASA. Musk has been a strong advocate for focusing SpaceX and NASA on missions to Mars. Conversely, Blue Origin’s near-term ambitions revolve around lunar missions.
The Wall Street Journal reported that in their conversations, Trump expressed to Bezos his desire to see a crewed mission to the moon within his term in office — a goal aligning with Blue Origin’s vision.
What Author Thinks
Bezos’s outreach to the Trump administration appears to be a calculated move to capitalize on shifting political winds in the space industry. While Musk has pushed boldly toward Mars, the immediate political appetite for lunar missions creates an opening for Blue Origin. However, success in this space will require more than political alignment; technological innovation and execution will ultimately decide the winner in this high-stakes competition.
Featured image credit: Dan Farber via Flickr
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