A blistering report from The Wall Street Journal is shedding light on just how cutthroat and competitive being in President Donald Trump’s inner circle can be.
The report highlights the publicized and notable — though largely mended — rift between Trump and former Department of Government Efficiency head Elon Musk.
After Musk left his post at DOGE, seemingly amicably, it did not take long for the tech mogul to skewer one of Trump’s most beloved pet projects, the One Big Beautiful Bill Act.
Musk argued that the OBBB was pork-filled and an “abomination” that would have a crippling impact on the ballooning national debt.
Trump and his camp clearly disagreed — leading to some deeply personal shots being fired between Musk and the president.
Again, things appear to have largely calmed down since then, but that doesn’t mean other billionaires aren’t trying to take advantage of the simmering chaos.
Enter Amazon founder and billionaire mogul Jeff Bezos.
The polarizing Bezos “talked to Trump at least twice this month,” according to the Journal, about acquiring more government contracts for his Blue Origin space rocket company.
And yes, Blue Origin is effectively a competitor of Musk’s SpaceX.
Should Trump be wary of Jeff Bezos?
(Blue Origin has also been a bit of a PR nightmare for Bezos, perhaps explaining his aggressive approach with the president.)
“Musk and Bezos have been space rivals for years, but SpaceX has pulled far ahead of Blue Origin, launching rockets at a record pace and becoming the dominant contractor at the National Aeronautics and Space Administration,” the Journal explained.
“Blue Origin executives worried since last summer about Musk’s proximity to Trump and how that could affect access to government contracts, some of the people said,” the outlet continued. “Trump’s falling out with Musk created a potential opening.”
The report noted that Trump and Bezos do share some common and potentially critical ground.
“Trump has discussed with Bezos his desire to see a crewed mission to the moon during his term in office,” according to sources who spoke to the Journal.
Perhaps the most interesting bit in the report is the revelation that Bezos is apparently working overtime to buddy up with the president.
For instance, Bezos reportedly invited Trump to his ballyhooed wedding in Italy as a sign of goodwill — and potential government contracts.
(The president is unable to attend the wedding due to scheduling conflicts.)
For what it’s worth, it does appear that Bezos’ years-long effort to cozy up to the president is beginning to yield fruit.
Recall that Bezos was a target of Trump during his first presidential administration.
However, between Bezos’ own recent rhetoric and an apparent friendship with Trump’s daughter and son-in-law, Ivanka and Jared Kushner, the Journal reported that things appear to be in a much friendlier place than with Trump 45.
“People close to both men describe a warm relationship now,” the Journal said of Trump and Bezos.
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