Musk Vs. Trump: A Space-Fueled Feud and Unfounded Allegations Against the President
SpaceX CEO, Elon Musk, issues threatening statements against former U.S. President Donald Trump, hinting at potential use of SpaceX and alleged Epstein files, before subsequently retracting these remarks.
Get ready for a rollercoaster as tech billionaire, Elon Musk, and US President, Donald Trump, go head-to-head in an intense public spat. Initially, Musk threatened to scrap SpaceX's Dragon spacecraft, citing Trump's decision to ax government contracts for Musk's companies. However, a change of heart saw Musk backtrack on his pronouncement just hours later.
The escalating feud between Musk and the President sent Tesla's stock tumbling, with a staggering 14% loss in US trading. Bloomberg estimates Musk's wealth dipped by a jaw-dropping nearly $34 billion in one day, to an impressive $335 billion (around $293 billion).
The Indispensable Dragon
The Dragon spacecraft is currently the only US spacecraft capable of transporting NASA astronauts to the ISS. The corresponding contract with SpaceX is worth a hefty $5 billion (around $4.4 billion). The Cargo Dragon delivers essential supplies to the space station, making it practically indispensable to the US. Although Boeing's Starliner spacecraft has made forays into space, its first manned flight ended in technical problems, with the crew needing to stay on the ISS while they waited for a SpaceX capsule to return them to Earth [1].
Amazon founder, Jeff Bezos, also heads his own space company, Blue Origin. However, it has yet to make significant strides in space travel. After the end of the Space Shuttle program, the US was reliant on Russian spacecraft for years until Dragon came to the fore. Musk's announcement may have been a response to another announcement by Trump: Jared Isaacman, a former ally of Musk, was no longer being considered for the position of NASA chief [1].
Beef Over Big, Beautiful Budget Bill
Trump and Musk's feud stems from their differing opinions on a tax and budget bill desired by the President. Musk has repeatedly expressed his opposition to the bill, arguing that it would significantly increase the US debt [1]. Trump, in turn, called Musk "crazy" and threatened to withdraw government contracts from Musk's companies.
The Epstein Effect
In an attempt to escalate the feud, Musk also accused Trump of having ties to disgraced financier and sex offender, Jeffrey Epstein. Musk claimed that Trump's role in the Epstein case was the reason the documents related to the scandal had not been released to the public [1]. However, he provided no evidence to support his allegations.
Epstein was a powerful investor with connections to high-ranking individuals. He is accused of sexually abusing and trafficking underage girls and young women for years [1]. Trump and Epstein were acquainted, and Musk himself had reported connections to Epstein and his fellow associates [1].
Sources:[1] ntv.de[2] mau/AFP/dpa[3] NY Times
Keywords:- SpaceX- ISS- NASA- Donald Trump- Elon Musk- Jeffrey Epstein- Jeff Bezos- Blue Origin- Jared Isaacman- Budget Bill- Tax Laws
- I'm not going to be a big fan of the idea of a "space race" involving business, politics, and general-news, especially when it disrupts the essential function of a space-and-astronomy project like the Dragon, currently the only US spacecraft capable of transporting NASA astronauts to the ISS.
- In the midst of a feud over a big, beautiful budget bill and tax laws, Elon Musk, the tech billionaire and CEO of SpaceX, has yet to find success in the realm of space travel, unlike his counterpart, Jeff Bezos, who heads Blue Origin but has yet to make significant strides in the space-and-astronomy business.
- The feud between Donald Trump and Elon Musk took an unexpected turn when Musk hurled unfounded allegations against the President, claiming that he had ties to the disgraced financier and sex offender, Jeffrey Epstein, a powerful figure in finance with connections to high-ranking individuals.
