Jeff Bezos, one of the richest individuals in the United States and founder of Amazon, is seeking to capitalize on the recent social media tensions between President Donald Trump and SpaceX CEO Elon Musk. According to The Wall Street Journal, Bezos has met with Trump twice this month, with one of the main topics being the increase of government contracts for his space company, Blue Origin.
Dave Limp, CEO of Blue Origin, also visited the White House to meet with the President’s Chief of Staff, Susie Wiles. It is reported that Bezos even invited Trump to his upcoming wedding in Venice, Italy.
These interactions followed a public feud between Musk and Trump. Elon Musk criticized President Trump by associating him with the “Epstein files,” suggesting this was why some documents have not been made public. Meanwhile, Trump threatened to cut billions of dollars in government subsidies and contracts awarded to Musk’s companies.
Although the conflict quickly cooled down, Bezos is attempting to use the situation as an opportunity for Blue Origin. Musk had nominated his preferred candidate to lead NASA, but Trump withdrew the nomination. While Musk focuses on missions to Mars, Blue Origin is prioritizing moon missions in the near future. During recent discussions, Trump expressed his desire to see a crewed mission to the moon during his term.
These developments indicate new directions in the U.S. space industry and government policy, increasing the chances for Blue Origin to grow with government support.
