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Jeff Bezos’ newspaper The Washington Post decided not to support a presidential candidate.
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The billionaire was less prominent in the elections than Elon Musk, but there is still a lot at stake.
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Bezos’ Blue Origin is working with NASA and the Pentagon as it catches up to Musk’s SpaceX.
The Washington Post’s decision not to endorse a presidential candidate has put the political spotlight on its owner, Jeff Bezos, who like many billionaires has tried to stay out of it.
Executives from Bezos’ rocket company Blue Origin, including CEO Dave Limp, spoke with Donald Trump on Friday, The Associated Press reported. That was the same day that the newspaper announced that it would not support a presidential candidate for the first time in 36 years.
The New York Times reported that the decision was made by Bezos. The Washington Post Guild claimed on X that an endorsement of Kamala Harris had already been lined up.
The Post’s publisher and CEO William Lewis said in a statement that reporting on Bezos’ role had been inaccurate.
“As a publisher, I do not believe in presidential endorsements. We are an independent newspaper and must support our readers’ ability to make up their own minds,” Lewis said.
The decision led to the resignations of the Post’s editor-in-chief Robert Kagan and columnist Michele Norris. Former editor-in-chief Marty Baron said the move was “cowardice, with democracy as the victim.”
“Donald Trump will see this as an invitation to further intimidate owner Jeff Bezos (and others),” Baron said on X.
Much of the attention in recent months has been on former Amazon CEO Elon Musk’s rival. Musk has campaigned extensively for Trump, who said in a campaign speech that “Elon promised” that “we will reach Mars before the end of my term.”
For Bezos, who has said nothing publicly about either candidate, there is a lot at stake in the election.
Like all private space companies, Blue Origin relies heavily on federal contracts and competes with SpaceX for government and military projects.
The rocket company has a $3.4 billion contract with NASA to build a lunar lander for its Artemis V mission, which will take humans to the moon for the first time in decades.
Blue Origin was also selected in June as the preferred supplier for $5.6 billion in Pentagon contracts – the first time it has been given the green light to launch national security satellites.
The company is gearing up to launch its largest rocket yet, the 350-foot New Glen, later this year.
SpaceX’s lead
The partially reusable rocket is Blue Origin’s answer to SpaceX’s Falcon Heavy, but is years behind schedule after a series of setbacks.
That delay has allowed SpaceX to emerge as the clear leader in the private space race.
The Texas-based company launched its Falcon Heavy rocket nearly 100 times last year and is currently testing the even larger Starship rocket that it plans to send to Mars in two years.
SpaceX and Blue Origin have frequently clashed over NASA contracts and rocket launches over the years — and Musk’s fervent support for the Republican candidate means he could wield significant influence in a potential Trump administration.
The SpaceX founder has been deeply involved in the campaign, donating tens of millions to a Trump campaign PAC and standing up for Trump in key battleground states.
Blue Origin did not respond to a request for comment from Business Insider.
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