The founder and owner of the aerospace company Blue Origin, Jeff Bezos, may take advantage of the discord in relations between US President Donald Trump and SpaceX CEO Elon Musk to strengthen his company's position and secure new government contracts for it, writes The Wall Street Journal.
According to the newspaper, Bezos has spoken with Trump at least twice this month, and Blue Origin CEO Dave Limp has met with the White House chief of staff and one of the closest advisers to the American leader, Susan Wiles. During these negotiations, the issue of distributing new government contracts to Bezos' company and the possibility of organizing a manned mission to the moon before the end of Trump's presidential term was raised. As the publication notes, Bezos has been "trying to charm Trump" in recent months. He even invited him to his wedding, which will take place in Venice this week, but the American leader's schedule will not allow him to attend this event, The Wall Street Journal adds.
Musk, who is the richest man on the planet, was the coordinator of the Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) until the end of May and was practically part of Trump's inner circle. However, according to publications in the American press, behind the scenes relations between the president and the businessman began to deteriorate for a number of reasons, including those related to Musk's business interests. After the billionaire left government service, the parties staged a noisy public showdown on June 5 via social networks. Musk later said he regretted his harsh remarks about Trump.
Politico previously reported that Musk and Bezos are in a fierce rivalry for supremacy in space exploration. According to the publication's assessment, Blue Origin is SpaceX's closest competitor among American companies, although it lags significantly behind it.