Bezos trying to cash in on Musk-Trump falling out
US billionaire Jeff Bezos is seeking to secure more government contracts for his space company, Blue Origin, in an effort to capitalize on the feud between US President Donald Trump and Elon Musk, the Wall Street Journal reported on Wednesday, citing people familiar with the matter.
Bezos reportedly met the US president at least twice in June, while the space technology company's CEO, Dave Limp, visited the White House to hold talks with Trump's chief of staff, Susie Wiles.
The reported efforts come shortly after a dramatic public rift earlier this month between Musk and Trump over the president's tax and spending bill. The spat escalated into an exchange of jabs on social media.
Bezos's Blue Origin and Musk's SpaceX have been competing with each other for years, the newspaper noted, emphasizing that SpaceX pulled far ahead after it began launching rockets at a record pace and became the main contractor for NASA.
Earlier this year, SpaceX secured a major $5.9 billion deal with the US Space Force for 28 flights planned for the years ahead. Another provider, United Launch Alliance, was awarded a $5.3 billion contract for 19 missions, while Blue Origin received $2.4 billion for seven launches.
According to the WSJ, Trump and Bezos discussed the president's desire to see a crewed mission to the Moon during his term in office. Sources also told the paper that the businessman even invited Trump to his wedding this weekend in Venice. Trump reportedly declined due to scheduling conflicts.
The dispute between Musk and Trump, who were once close allies, occurred after former stepped down as head of the Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE). Musk repeatedly criticized Trump's tax and spending bill, arguing that it undermined his efforts to cut waste from the federal budget.
Musk accused Trump of 'ingratitude,' while backing calls for his impeachment and threatening to hamstring the US space program by grounding the Dragon spacecraft. Trump fired back, saying Musk had 'gone crazy' and blamed the spat on the end of the EV mandate – a reference to federal incentives that had benefited Tesla. Musk responded with a now-deleted post that linked Trump to deceased pedophile Jeffrey Epstein.
Musk later said that he regrets some of his posts about Trump, adding that the comments went too far.
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