President Trump Presents National Medal of Science to Elon Musk at White House Ceremony
On Thursday, US President Donald Trump awarded Tesla and SpaceX CEO Elon Musk the National Medal of Science during the White House’s “Science: A New Golden Age Summit.” This marked the first time Trump presented the award during his presidency. Congress created the National Medal of Science in 1959, designating it as the nation’s highest honor for scientific and engineering achievements that advance knowledge in fields including physics, biology, mathematics, engineering, and social sciences.
Prior to the presentation, Trump characterized Musk as “an industrial titan, a brilliant engineer, and one of the greatest technology founders to ever live.” The president emphasized Musk’s contributions through SpaceX, particularly the company’s role in advancing America’s space capabilities. He specifically commended SpaceX for the successful return of Crew-12 from the International Space Station.
The president also recognized SpaceX’s progress on Starship development and the Starlink satellite network. He recounted an incident in North Carolina where Starlink provided critical communications during a hurricane, crediting the system with saving hundreds of lives.
Trump said he called up Elon, and it was like impossible to get this equipment, and he had it there in a matter of hours, and saved hundreds of lives.
Michael Kratsios, Director of the White House Office of Science and Technology Policy, explained that Musk earned the National Medal of Science for “engineering achievements of extraordinary ambition and scale that have pushed the frontiers of space exploration, intelligent systems, communications, and beyond, renewing American technological leadership and opening a new chapter in American manufacturing.”
Trump also highlighted Musk’s role in creating Tesla, calling it “the first successful new car manufacturer in over 75 years” and crediting the company with producing commercially viable electric cars and consumer self-driving technology.
“My uncle, after a fairly short period of time, determined that he was a true and great genius, and that he was real in every single way,” Trump said.
The award follows a period of public tension between the two last year after Musk left the Department of Government Efficiency. Musk had criticized Trump’s economic policies, while the president had threatened to review Musk’s government contracts. Relations have since improved, with Musk recently attending a technology leaders’ gathering alongside Trump and participating in Chinese President Xi Jinping’s visit. Musk has since resumed an advisory role in the administration, co-leading the Pentagon’s Project Meridian, which examines future warfare strategies and technologies to sustain US military dominance.
Trump also referred to Musk’s work through Neuralink and superintelligence, saying he was “restoring sight, speech, and motion” to people who could not see, talk, or move.
