Trump mulls kneecapping SpaceX following explosive public Musk feud
President Donald Trump is reportedly weighing a move to reduce the role of one of tech billionaire Elon Musk's key companies in a defense plan he refers to as the "Golden Dome," Reuters reported on Thursday.
This comes following an explosive public fight between Trump and Musk, who for months had been allies with the latter holding a major White House advisory position. Musk, enraged that Trump canceled the NASA nomination of one of his friends, openly trashed Trump's "big, beautiful bill" on tax cuts, and at one point even accused Trump of being a pedophile.
This week, Musk tried to back off some of his criticisms, but the damage appeared to be done.
"The White House until recently had considered a plan for SpaceX, Musk's rocket and satellite venture, to partner with software maker Palantir and drone builder Anduril to construct crucial elements of the project," said the report. However, "a new framework for the system, which would seek to track and prevent possible missile attacks against the United States, is now being considered that could reduce the role of SpaceX. One possibility, the three people said, could initially forego SpaceX's satellite capabilities and focus on the expansion of existing ground systems for missile defense instead."
"The Trump Administration is committed to a rigorous review process for all bids and contracts," said a White House spokesperson in response to the reporting.
This appears to align with Trump's threats last week to cut off Musk's subsidies and federal contracts, which as of this year are estimated to be around $38 billion over the lifetime of Musk's companies, like SpaceX and Tesla.
The "Golden Dome" project is an effort to shore up U.S. missile defense. The name is a nod to the Iron Dome, the system Israel built in partnership with the United States to intercept rockets fired at population centers by terrorist organizations.