Jeff Bezos Courts Trump in Bold Play for Lucrative Blue Origin Contracts
Space just got political—again. Jeff Bezos is reportedly in talks with former President Donald Trump, pushing to secure federal contracts for Blue Origin. The move signals a high-stakes gambit in the escalating private space race.
Behind closed doors: Insiders suggest Bezos is leveraging his influence to bypass traditional bidding processes. Because when you're the second-richest person on Earth, why wait in line like everyone else?
Dollar signs in zero-G: With NASA's Artemis program fueling a $93 billion space economy, Blue Origin's lunar lander ambitions could mint new fortunes. Just don't ask taxpayers if they want to fund another billionaire's space hobby.
The bottom line: In the new space gold rush, the real rocket fuel isn't hydrogen—it's political connections and naked opportunism. To the moon—on Uncle Sam's dime.
Jeff offers Trump what Elon can’t
Elon used to be DEEP inside Trump’s circle. He helped with transition picks, ran a $250 million super PAC to support Trump’s re-election, and was behind Isaacman’s nomination to lead NASA. That’s gone now. The breakup cleared the way for Jeff, who’s wasted no time getting close.
Trump, who wants a crewed mission to the moon during his term, brought that up with Jeff in recent calls, Bloomberg reported. Blue Origin is aiming to land a cargo ship on the moon this year. That’s a strong pitch, but there’s still a problem: SpaceX is way ahead.
Blue Origin’s New Glenn rocket made it to orbit for the first time in January, but a second flight planned for spring never happened. The next shot is in mid-August. Meanwhile, SpaceX is expected to hit 170 launches in 2025. Most of those are for its satellite arm, Starlink, but many are also tied to government missions.
In April, the U.S. Space Force awarded SpaceX $5.9 billion for 28 upcoming launches. United Launch Alliance got less for 19. Blue Origin only landed $2.4 billion for seven. Elon’s rockets are proven and fast. Jeff’ rockets are still trying to catch up.
Limp has been pressing Blue Origin to speed things up and compete harder. The company is also aiming at several major future government contracts, including Trump’s “Golden Dome” missile-defense plan and upcoming Mars programs NASA has been asked to pursue.
Jeff repairs relationship with the White House
Jeff wasn’t always this close to Trump, as you may know. During Trump’s first term, the president accused Jeff of using the Washington Post to attack his presidency and even launched an investigation into Amazon’s Postal Service contracts, saying the company’s discounts were hurting the system. Trump also called Amazon a monopoly.
But that tension is fading. Jeff built connections with Ivanka Trump and Jared Kushner. He also backed the Washington Post’s decision not to endorse any candidate, blocking a planned editorial that would’ve supported Vice President Kamala Harris. That MOVE didn’t go unnoticed. Trump has privately praised Jeff for stopping the endorsement, according to people close to him.
Jeff also brought cash. Amazon paid $40 million, nearly three times the next highest offer, for a documentary about First Lady Melania Trump. Over 70% of that money is going directly to her, as reported by The Wall Street Journal. And Amazon gave $1 million to Trump’s 2025 inauguration, where Jeff and his fiancée Lauren Sánchez were seated right behind the president.
Jeff even invited Trump to his wedding in Venice this weekend. Trump isn’t expected to attend, but the invitation itself was part of the charm offensive.
Jeff is doing what Elon can’t right now: keep Trump happy, feed his space ambitions, do as he says, and avoid drama. Whether that’s enough to push Blue Origin ahead of SpaceX in the government contract race is still unclear. But for now, the billionaire who once clashed with Trump is back in the room, and Elon is out.
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