The President of the United States, Donald Trump, said this Friday that the contracts that billionaire Elon Musk’s companies have with the federal government will be reviewed, as “it’s a lot of money,” in another phase of the breakdown in relations that they have had in the last week, following the end of the “bromance” between the president and the magnate.
“We are going to review everything... it’s a lot of money. It’s a significant subsidy,” he told the media on his way to his golf club in Bedminster, New Jersey, where he usually spends weekends.
After Musk’s criticism, who has tried to moderate the escalation of attacks between them, to Trump’s budget proposal, the president responded on his social network that the best way to save millions of dollars for the government is to cancel the subsidies and contracts to the magnate, after which the verbal war between them has continued.
SpaceX with the juiciest contracts
SpaceX is the company controlled by Musk with the most lucrative contracts with the government: in April, it obtained one worth 5.9 billion with the Space Force for the launch of satellites and missions over the next five years, and in 2021 NASA awarded it another contract worth 2.89 billion to develop the lunar spacecraft Starship HLS and conduct two flights.
Musk, who was in charge from January until May 30th of the Office of Government Efficiency to cut government expenses, threatened yesterday in X to dismantle his Dragon space shuttle program, on which the United States relies to transport personnel and supplies to the International Space Station (ISS), although today he backtracked.
In a separate conversation with journalists, after being asked if he was really considering cutting those contracts, he indicated that it is being evaluated. “We will analyze it, only if it is fair, only if it is fair for him and for the country. I would definitely consider it. But it has to be fair,” he said without going into details.
He stated that the US can survive without those contracts. He was also asked if he would consider investigating or reopening investigations into Musk’s companies, to which he said he had no idea about the topic.
He also stated that he doesn’t have time to think about Musk, who had become his right-hand man and whose public “divorce” has been making headlines, because he is busy with matters concerning China, tariffs, Russia, seeking an end to the war in Ukraine, and with Iran, where he is seeking a nuclear agreement.
“I just wish him all the best,” Trump stated about Musk.