Bezos Takes His Shot Amid Trump-Musk Rift? Blue Origin Reportedly Eyes NASA And Defense Deals

The fallout between Donald Trump and Elon Musk is apparently creating a potential opening for Jeff Bezos and Blue Origin. 

After a series of recent disagreements, including Trump pulling a Musk-backed NASA nominee and threatening to cut federal contracts, Bezos has stepped in, speaking with Trump at least twice in June, according to a Wall Street Journal report, citing people familiar with the matter.

Blue Origin CEO Dave Limp also reportedly met with Trump’s chief of staff, Susie Wiles, as the company pushes for more government support.

According to the report, Bezos and Limp are lobbying for increased contracts tied to Blue Origin’s moon and defense ambitions, positioning the company as an alternative to Musk’s SpaceX, which currently dominates U.S. space launches and government contracts. 

Blue Origin leaders had long been wary of Musk’s close ties to Trump, but the recent split may now benefit them.

Despite years of lagging behind SpaceX, Blue Origin launched its New Glenn rocket in January and plans another mission in August. 

However, it still needs to be proven that it can launch regularly and reliably. 

SpaceX is targeting 170 launches this year, including many for its Starlink satellite system. It also recently secured a $5.9 billion Space Force deal. 

In comparison, Blue Origin was awarded $2.4 billion for seven launches.

Bezos has recently warmed relations with Trump, even inviting him to his upcoming celebrity-filled wedding in Venice (though Trump is not expected to attend). 

Bezos also forged ties with Ivanka Trump and Jared Kushner, and reportedly earned Trump’s approval by halting a Washington Post endorsement of Kamala Harris.

The Biden-era animosity between Bezos and Trump has cooled. 

Trump has even privately praised Bezos. Amazon paid $40 million for a documentary about Melania Trump, with the first lady reportedly receiving over 70% of the sum.

Blue Origin and SpaceX are expected to compete for future moon, Mars, and missile defense contracts, including Trump’s proposed “Golden Dome” initiative. 

Bezos is now positioning Blue Origin for a comeback, leveraging both his political ties and a new opportunity left by Musk’s fallout with Trump.

On Stocktwits, retail sentiment for SpaceX was ‘bearish’ amid ‘normal’ message volume.

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