Musk eyes Starlink terminal deployment in US airspace network, Bloomberg News reports
WASHINGTON: Elon Musk's SpaceX is looking to deploy Starlink satellite Internet terminals to speed up the information technology networks that support the US Federal Aviation Administration's national airspace system, Bloomberg News reported on Monday.
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Al Arabiya
an hour ago
- Al Arabiya
Elon Musk and Donald Trump's ugly divorce
In one of his emotional outbursts, Elon Musk wrote months ago on his platform 'X': 'I love [Donald Trump] as much as a straight man can love another man.' Since then, we've seen him – with his son – accompanying Trump more often than we see the president with his own wife and son, Barron. Yet this affection and personal attraction were, in reality, built on fragile foundations of mutual interest and benefit. It was expected that this tangled relationship would end quickly – but not in the bitter and ugly way it did, when Musk accused his former boss of ties to the infamous Jeffrey Epstein case and called for his ouster. Trump, known for firing his staff in humiliating ways – sometimes without them even knowing – and calling them 'idiots,' couldn't treat the richest man in the world the same way. Elon Musk is no ordinary man, and he played a critical role in Trump's re-election. That's why Trump tried to ease him out gracefully and with minimal damage. In a bland farewell ceremony before reporters in the Oval Office, he handed Musk – who was in a state of turmoil – a golden key in honor of his service. In his parting words, Musk said he would remain a supporter and friend to Trump, who, despite Musk's remarks, tried to absorb the blow and calm the tension. But just a few days later, Musk launched a furious, unhinged attack on his former boss, declaring that he hadn't meant what he said in front of millions. Musk is an emotional and volatile figure, difficult to contain. This is one of the key reasons behind the rift between him and Trump that led to this ugly split. While Trump seeks to weaken established institutions and challenge the so-called deep state, Musk operates entirely outside traditional government structures, disregarding its norms and conventions altogether. Trump, despite rebelling against Washington and its elite, still adhered to some rules and never became an absolute destructive force – after all, he is the president of the United States. Musk, on the other hand, has never worked in government, but wants to change it as he does his corporate leadership teams – without oversight or accountability. His clash with members of Trump's administration over the government efficiency board known as 'DOGE' sparked much controversy. He used a harsh management style, and although Trump publicly supported him at first, Musk's employee purge campaign ultimately damaged Trump's political image and failed to deliver the promised financial savings. It was a chaotic project doomed to fail from the very beginning. Another rift between Musk and Trump lies in their worldviews. After Trump's victory, Musk entered into a state of hysterical celebration, declaring that the win would serve human civilization and the interests of mankind. Musk's motivations are cosmic and idealistic, whereas Trump speaks in terms of individual interests, 'America First,' egg prices, and tariffs. While Musk saw Trump's win as a turning point in human history, Trump was busy attacking Biden and blaming him. Their conflict was a collision of extremes – excessive idealism versus self-serving realism, visionary romanticism versus cold materialism. For all these reasons, the split wasn't surprising – it was a logical conclusion to a fragile relationship between two personalities who were never meant to meet in the first place.
Al Arabiya
a day ago
- Al Arabiya
JD Vance says he hopes Elon Musk returns to fold after public feud with Trump
Vice President JD Vance said Elon Musk is making a 'huge mistake' in going after Donald Trump and expressed hopes the billionaire will come back into the fold following the public feud that unfolded. 'I'm always going to be loyal to the president and I hope that eventually Elon kind of comes back into the fold,' Vance said in an interview on the podcast 'This Past Weekend w/ Theo Von' released on Saturday. 'Maybe that's not possible now because he's gone so nuclear, but I hope it is.' Musk helped elect Trump and Vance in 2024 and assumed a role heading the Department of Government Efficiency, a cost-cutting effort that has so far fallen well short of the Tesla Inc. chief's initial promises. Trump and Musk's political alliance imploded on Thursday after Musk criticized the tax and spending policy bill backed by the president. The two men traded jabs that grew personal on social media, stunning watchers in Washington and on Wall Street. While Vance posted on X in support of Trump, saying that the president he was 'proud to stand beside him' and praising him as having 'done more than anyone in my lifetime to earn the trust of the movement he leads,' the interview with Von marked his first direct comments on Musk since the spat erupted. The president had encouraged Vance to speak diplomatically about Musk before his appearance on the podcast, according to a person familiar with the situation who shared details on condition of anonymity. 'The president doesn't think that he needs to be in a blood feud with Elon Musk, and I actually think if Elon chilled out a little bit, everything would be fine,' Vance said.
Arab News
a day ago
- Arab News
Trump says Elon Musk could face ‘serious consequences' if he backs Democratic candidates
BRIDGEWATER, N.J.: President Donald Trump is not backing off his battle with Elon Musk, saying Saturday that he has no desire to repair their relationship and warning that his former ally and campaign benefactor could face 'serious consequences' if he tries to help Democrats in upcoming elections. Trump told NBC's Kristen Welker in a phone interview that he has no plans to make up with Musk. Asked specifically if he thought his relationship with the mega-billionaire CEO of Tesla and SpaceX is over, Trump responded, 'I would assume so, yeah.' 'I'm too busy doing other things,' Trump continued. 'You know, I won an election in a landslide. I gave him a lot of breaks, long before this happened, I gave him breaks in my first administration, and saved his life in my first administration, I have no intention of speaking to him.' The president also issued a warning amid chatter that Musk could back Democratic lawmakers and candidates in the 2026 midterm elections. 'If he does, he'll have to pay the consequences for that,' Trump told NBC, though he declined to share what those consequences would be. Musk's businesses have many lucrative federal contracts. The president's latest comments suggest Musk is moving from close ally to a potential new target for Trump, who has aggressively wielded the powers of his office to crack down on critics and punish perceived enemies. As a major government contractor, Musk's businesses could be particularly vulnerable to retribution. Trump has already threatened to cut Musk's contracts, calling it an easy way to save money. The dramatic rupture between the president and the world's richest man began this week with Musk's public criticism of Trump's 'big beautiful bill' pending on Capitol Hill. Musk has warned that the bill will increase the federal deficit and called it a 'disgusting abomination.' Trump criticized Musk in the Oval Office, and before long, he and Musk began trading bitterly personal attacks on social media, sending the White House and GOP congressional leaders scrambling to assess the fallout. As the back-and-forth intensified, Musk suggested Trump should be impeached and claimed without evidence that the government was concealing information about the president's association with infamous pedophile Jeffrey Epstein. Musk appeared by Saturday morning to have deleted his posts about Epstein. Vice President JD Vance in an interview tried to downplay the feud. He said Musk was making a 'huge mistake' going after Trump, but called him an 'emotional guy' getting frustrated. 'I hope that eventually Elon comes back into the fold. Maybe that's not possible now because he's gone so nuclear,' Vance said. Vance called Musk an 'incredible entrepreneur,' and said that Musk's Department of Government Efficiency, which sought to cut government spending and laid off or pushed out thousands of workers, was 'really good.' Vance made the comments in an interview with ' manosphere' comedian Theo Von, who last month joked about snorting drugs off a mixed-race baby and the sexuality of men in the US Navy when he opened for Trump at a military base in Qatar. The Vance interview was taped Thursday as Musk's posts were unfurling on X, the social media network the billionaire owns. During the interview, Von showed the vice president Musk's claim that Trump's administration hasn't released all the records related to Epstein because Trump is mentioned in them. Vance responded to that, saying, 'Absolutely not. Donald Trump didn't do anything wrong with Jeffrey Epstein.' 'This stuff is just not helpful,' Vance said in response to another post shared by Musk calling for Trump to be impeached and replaced with Vance. 'It's totally insane. The president is doing a good job.' Vance also defended the bill that has drawn Musk's ire, and said its central goal was not to cut spending but to extend the 2017 tax cuts approved in Trump's first term. The bill would slash spending and taxes but also leave some 10.9 million more people without health insurance and spike deficits by $2.4 trillion over the decade, according to the nonpartisan Congressional Budget Office. 'It's a good bill,' Vance said. 'It's not a perfect bill.' The interview was taped in Nashville at a restaurant owned by musician Kid Rock, a Trump ally.
