Bezos And Musk Courting Trump Over Space Business, Says Robert Reich

Billionaires Elon Musk and Jeff Bezos, with net worths of $271 billion and $262 billion, respectively, are wielding their influence over media and social platforms to favor former President Donald Trump, Robert Reich argued in his Substack newsletter.

Reich suggests that the timing of Bezos’s move was strategic, as Blue Origin executives, Bezos’s aerospace company, met with Trump shortly after the endorsement halt, seeking space contracts that pit Blue Origin against Musk’s SpaceX. I Photo: Blue Origin

According to Reich, Bezos halted The Washington Post from endorsing Vice President Kamala Harris for president, reportedly causing a 10% drop in subscriptions. Musk, meanwhile, has transformed Twitter (now X) into a platform supporting Trump, spreading rumors and conspiracy theories about Harris.

Since Musk’s acquisition, X’s US usage dropped 30%, and Fidelity recently valued X at 80% less than Musk’s purchase price.

Reich suggests that the timing of Bezos’s move was strategic, as Blue Origin executives, Bezos’s aerospace company, met with Trump shortly after the endorsement halt, seeking space contracts that pit Blue Origin against Musk’s SpaceX.