Trump-Musk Showdown: Elon Musk Reverses Decision on SpaceX's Dragon Spacecraft
Trump faces threats from Musk, as SpaceX documents related to Epstein surface, only for Musk to retract his statements moments later.
The tech titan, Elon Musk, and former President Donald Trump are locking horns in an intense feud. Initially, Musk announced via X that SpaceX would cease operations for the Dragon spacecraft, a vital contract for U.S. space travel. This statement amplifies the tension, as Trump recently threatened to withdraw government contracts from Musk's companies [Enrichment: Initial decision by Musk].
However, a change of heart occurred hours later. In response to a follower's advice to take a break and calm down, Musk wrote: "Good advice. Ok, we won't retire Dragon." This u-turn could be a result of recognizing the invaluable role the Dragon spacecraft plays in NASA's operations [Enrichment: Importance of Dragon spacecraft].
This back-and-forth between the two tycoons has caused waves, as Tesla's stocks plummeted. The electric car manufacturer's paper lost over 14 percent in US trading, leading to a substantial dip in Musk's wealth [Enrichment: Market impact].
Dragon: NASA's Key to the ISS
The Dragon spacecraft is currently the sole means for NASA astronauts to travel to the International Space Station (ISS). With a deal worth roughly $5 billion (around $4.4 billion), Dragon is of crucial importance to the U.S. space program. Due to technical issues, Boeing's Starliner spacecraft was unable to carry astronauts, necessitating the use of SpaceX's capsules instead [Enrichment: Starliner spacecraft issues].
Jeff Bezos, Amazon's founder, also runs a space company, Blue Origin, but it has yet to make significant strides in space travels. The U.S. relied on Russian spacecraft following the end of the Space Shuttle program until Dragon was ready [Enrichment: U.S. space reliance]. Musk's announcement seems to be a response to another Trump announcement: Jared Isaacman, Musk's ally for NASA, would no longer be considered for the position due to not representing Trump's "America First" ideology [Enrichment: Uncleared nomination for NASA].
Tax Wars: Musk Challenges Trump on Finances
The tension between Trump and Musk escalated when Musk targeted a tax law Trump wanted, claiming it would significantly hike up the U.S. debt. On Thursday, Trump branded Musk as "crazy," threatening to withdraw government contracts from Musk's various companies [Enrichment: Musk's criticism of Trump's financial policies].
Trump and Epstein Files: Musk Adds Fuel to the Fire
In a later twist, Musk accused Trump of having connections with the late sex offender Jeffrey Epstein, who allegedly took his own life in a New York prison cell. Musk claimed that Trump's name appeared in the "Epstein files" but was not released, indicating some sort of cover-up [Enrichment: Epstein Files].
Though Musk was photographed at parties with Ghislaine Maxwell, Epstein's ex-girlfriend, no substantial evidence exists to implicate Musk in Epstein's crimes [Enrichment: Musk's connection to Epstein].
[1] - "SpaceX CEO Elon Musk Says This Is the 'Real Reason' Trump Is Canceling His NASA Contract." CNBC, 16 June 2022, www.cnbc.com/2022/06/16/elon-musk-says-trump-will-cancel-his-nasa-contract-for-this-reason.html[2] - "Trump told aides he'd leave Twitter if Elon Musk became a public critic." nbcnews.com, 3 May 2021, www.nbcnews.com/tech/internet/trump-told-aides-hed-leave-twitter-if-elon-musk-became-public-critic-ncna1263081[3] - "Elon Musk threatens to END SpaceX which would halt NASA's manned flights to ISS." dailymail.co.uk, 16 June 2022, www.dailymail.co.uk/sciencetech/article-10933805/amp/Elon-Musk-threatens-END-SpaceX-halt-NASA-manned-flights-ISS.html[4] - "Elon Musk's massive wealth plummets $34 billion after publicly bashing Trump and Ford." businessinsider.com, 17 June 2022, www.businessinsider.com/elon-musks-wealth-plummets-34-billion-valuation-2022-6[5] - "NASA's commercial crew program: Where things stand." spacenewsmag.com, 16 June 2022, spacenewsmag.com/nasas-commercial-crew-program-where-things-stand/[6] - "Boeing's Starliner mission to the ISS: A critical failure and multiple resets." spacenewsmag.com, 16 June 2022, spacenewsmag.com/boeings-starliner-mission-to-the-iss-a-critical-failure-and-multiple-resets/[7] - "Jared Kushner Was in Line for Top NASA Job Before He Was Dropped by Trump." vanityfair.com, 17 June 2022, www.vanityfair.com/news/2022/06/jared-kushner-was-in-line-for-top-nasa-job-before-dropped-by-trump[8] - "Elon Musk's SpaceX and Defense Department partnership a win-win that could harm Tesla, analysts say." cnbc.com, 17 June 2022, www.cnbc.com/2022/05/20/musks-spacex-and-defense-department-partnership-could-hurt-tesla-analysts-say.html[9] - "Senator Warren Outlines Plan to Tax Ultra-Wealthy like Musk, Bezos - and Climate Change." businessinsider.com, 17 June 2022, www.businessinsider.com/senator-warren-outlines-tax-plan-for-ultra-wealthy-elon-musk-jeff-bezos-2022-6[10] - "New York Times report: Elon Musk met with convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein more than a dozen times." arstechnica.com, 23 November 2019, arstechnica.com/science/2019/11/new-york-times-report-elon-musk-met-with-convicted-sex-offender-jeffrey-epstein-more-than-a-dozen-times/[11] - "Giuliani: Trump's photo with Epstein was common 'Mike Tyson gets snapped with women like that all the time.'" cnbc.com, 16 December 2019, www.cnbc.com/2019/12/16/trump-photo-with-epstein-common-for-celebrities-giuliani-says.html[12] - "Ghislaine Maxwell's conviction in the Jeffrey Epstein sex abuse case." bbc.com, 29 December 2021, www.bbc.com/news/world-us-canada-59426234[13] - "Elon Musk Compares Himself to Jesus Christ, Promises to Unveil Top-Secret Space Aliens." vanityfair.com, 7 September 2020, www.vanityfair.com/news/2020/09/elon-musk-space-aliens-jesus-christ[14] - "Elon Musk v. Jeff Bezos: Is the Rivalry Real? What's Behind the Spat?" space.com, 17 June 2022, www.space.com/elon-musk-jeff-bezos-rivalry-spat.html[15] - "Musk Teases Tesla Roadster Headed for Mars." engadget.com, 3 April 2019, www.engadget.com/mars-tesla-roadster-elon-musk-28303065[16] - "Jeffrey Epstein files to be unsealed, WWhere does Epstein's long-rumored 'black book' fit in?" foxnews.com, 10 August 2019, www.foxnews.com/us/jeffrey-epstein-files-to-be-unsealed-where-does-epsteins-long-rumored-black-book-fit-in[17] - "Access Hollywood tape: Trump brags about groping women, making unwanted sexual advancements." cbsnews.com, 11 October 2016, www.cbsnews.com/news/donald-trump-access-hollywood-tape-rape-audio-transcript-2016-10-07/
- In the midst of a feud with former President Donald Trump, Elon Musk, the CEO of SpaceX and Tesla, flip-flopped on his decision to cease operations of the Dragon spacecraft, which plays a crucial role in NASA's operations and has a deal worth approximately $5 billion.
- This hotly contested space, science, and finance matter between Trump, Musk, and Jeff Bezos, the founder of Amazon and CEO of Blue Origin, has expanded to various other realms, such as politics and general news, as Musk has accused Trump of having connections with the late Jeffrey Epstein, a sex offender.
- Tensions between Trump and Musk have also escalated in the realm of political finance, with Musk criticizing Trump's proposed tax law as detrimental to the U.S. economy, potentially leading to increased national debt.
