President Donald Trump reportedly had a private meeting with Jeff Bezos, the founder of Amazon, at the White House last week.
The Details: The discussion between Trump and Bezos lasted more than an hour, although details and the precise timing of the meeting remain unclear, according to sources per CNBC.
Neither Amazon nor Bezos's spokesperson provided comments regarding the visit.
Flight data tracked by Jack Sweeney indicated that a Gulfstream G700 jet associated with Bezos landed near Washington, D.C., on July 14 and departed the following day.
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During Trump's first term, he and Bezos often clashed, largely due to Bezos's ownership of the Washington Post. However, their relationship has become more amicable during Trump's second term.
Bezos, who also owns Blue Origin, has taken steps to align himself more closely with the administration. He appeared alongside other top tech executives at Trump's inauguration after donating $1 million to the event's fund.
The Trump administration later praised him for reshaping the Washington Post's editorial focus toward themes like "personal liberties and free markets."
In April, Trump described Bezos as "terrific" and "a good guy" after Bezos assured him that Amazon would not display additional tariffs as surcharges on its platform.
More recently, reports have suggested Bezos is seeking to benefit from Trump's deteriorating relationship with Elon Musk, CEO of SpaceX, who competes with Bezos through Blue Origin and Amazon's satellite venture, Project Kuiper.
After the Trump-Musk fallout, Bezos has reportedly held several conversations with Trump, while Blue Origin's CEO, Dave Limp, also visited the White House. The Wall Street Journal noted that these discussions partly touched on government contracts.
Why It Matters: The Trump administration is evaluating new partners for the Golden Dome missile defense system, a $175 billion space-based shield, as ties with SpaceX CEO Elon Musk have deteriorated.
Among those being considered is Amazon's Project Kuiper, along with major defense contractors.
While Musk's SpaceX has a solid history in government contracts and large-scale space operations, its future role in the Golden Dome initiative is uncertain.
In the meantime, the Pentagon is in discussions with Amazon's Project Kuiper, which operates a low-Earth orbit satellite network.
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