Elon Musk fires back as Trump threatens to cut off government contracts

U.S. President Donald Trump has stirred a new wave of controversy after suggesting that one of the easiest ways to save “billions and billions” in government spending would be to terminate Elon Musk’s federal subsidies and contracts.

In a bold post shared online, Trump wrote:
“The easiest way to save money in our Budget, Billions and Billions of Dollars, is to terminate Elon’s Governmental Subsidies and Contracts. I was always surprised that Biden didn’t do it!”

The comment appeared to target Musk’s growing influence in both the commercial and governmental space sectors, particularly with his aerospace company, SpaceX, which holds multiple contracts with NASA and the U.S. Department of Defense.

Not one to back down, Elon Musk fired back with a sharply worded and sarcastic response.
“In light of the President’s statement about cancellation of my government contracts, @SpaceX will begin decommissioning its Dragon spacecraft immediately,”

https://x.com/elonmusk/status/1930718684819112251?t=z5MrdI4ZSwFuOqmn0UI9fA&s=19

Musk posted, referring to the spacecraft currently used to transport cargo and crew to the International Space Station.

The exchange has gone viral on social media, with some applauding Musk’s retort as clever resistance to political posturing, while others questioned whether Trump’s remarks signal a deeper policy shift should he return to office.

As of now, there has been no official statement from the federal agencies involved with SpaceX contracts, but the public spat between Trump and Musk has once again placed the intersection of politics, business, and space exploration in the spotlight.