U.S. President Donald Trump showered praise on billionaire entrepreneur Elon Musk, with whom he once had a major falling out marked by mutual accusations, at the Golden Age Innovation Summit held in Washington. In his speech at the event, where executives of technology companies were honored at the Donald J. Trump Peace Institute, Trump spoke about the steps the U.S. administration has taken in the field of science. In a speech where he also mentioned the U.S.'s progress in quantum computing, next-generation nuclear energy, and artificial intelligence, as well as plans to establish a permanent presence on the Moon and subsequently travel to Mars, Trump dedicated a significant portion of his remarks to American billionaire entrepreneur Elon Musk, who was among those awarded the National Medal of Science at the event.
Musk described as a "national treasure"
Trump stated, "First, we are honoring an industrial giant, a brilliant engineer, and one of the greatest technology company founders of all time. His name is Elon Musk. There is no one like him. Very few Americans in history have done as much as Elon to advance the national interests of the United States. With his genius and determination in different fields, he has turned science fiction into reality."
Expressing that Musk founded SpaceX in 2002 using all his savings and produced the first liquid-fueled rocket developed by the private sector to reach orbit under conditions where success seemed almost impossible, Trump addressed Musk, saying, "We are proud of you, you are a national treasure."
"Elon Musk is the Thomas Edison of our time"
Emphasizing that SpaceX, under Musk's leadership, built the reusable launch vehicle "Starship" and the largest communication satellite network to date, Starlink, Trump said, "Furthermore, Elon founded Tesla, the first successful new car manufacturer to emerge in over 75 years. He produced the first commercially viable electric cars with autonomous driving technology for consumers. Elon Musk is the Thomas Edison of our time. Elon, I want to congratulate you. Beyond all this, you are my friend. You are a very special person."
At the event, Trump also spoke highly of Google co-founder Sergey Brin, AMD Chair and CEO Lisa Su, and NVIDIA co-founder and CEO Jensen Huang, presenting them with the National Medal of Science. During the evening, Dell founder and CEO Michael Dell and Microsoft CEO Satya Nadella were honored with the National Medal of Technology and Innovation.
Musk and Trump had experienced tension over the budget
Musk, who holds the title of the world's richest person, made large-scale donations to Trump and the Republicans in the 2024 elections, and after taking office, Trump appointed Musk as his senior advisor. Musk also took on an advisory role in the work of the Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE), which aims to reduce public spending. In June 2025, tension arose between the two due to Trump's tax and spending package, and Musk criticized this regulatory package on the grounds that it would "increase the budget deficit and waste savings." The tension between the two turned into mutual accusations, and Musk claimed that the files of the American billionaire and convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein were not disclosed because they included Trump. Following the tension, Musk took a step back and announced that he regretted some of his statements about Trump. Trump and Musk came together at a memorial service for the assassinated American conservative political commentator Charlie Kirk, and this was accepted as the most visible sign of the softening in their relationship.
News Source: 12punto
