Washington, October 9
US President Donald Trump on Thursday honoured Tesla and SpaceX CEO Elon Musk with the National Medal of Science, praising him as a “national treasure” and a “modern-day Thomas Edison” for his contributions to space exploration, technology and innovation.
The award was presented at the White House’s Science: A New Golden Age Summit, which brought together scientists and technology leaders to discuss scientific breakthroughs, artificial intelligence and private-sector investment.
Before presenting the medal, Trump described Musk as “an industrial titan, a brilliant engineer, and one of the greatest technology founders to ever live”.
“Few Americans in history have done more to advance America’s national interest than Elon in one field after another,” Trump said. “His genius and determination have made science fiction into reality.”
Trump highlighted SpaceX’s role in advancing the US space programme, saying it had reduced NASA’s reliance on foreign countries to send astronauts into space. He also congratulated the company on the safe return of Crew-12 from the International Space Station earlier that day.
The president praised SpaceX’s Starship programme and Starlink satellite network, recalling an incident in North Carolina during which he said Starlink helped restore communications during a hurricane and contributed to saving hundreds of lives.
Trump also credited Musk’s Tesla with helping establish electric vehicles as a commercially viable alternative and advancing consumer self-driving technology. He praised Musk’s work through Neuralink and in artificial intelligence, claiming it was helping restore sight, speech and movement to people with disabilities.
“Elon is our modern-day Thomas Edison,” Trump said, congratulating Musk on his achievements.
Michael Kratsios, director of the White House Office of Science and Technology Policy, said Musk was being recognised for “engineering achievements of extraordinary ambition and scale” that had advanced space exploration, intelligent systems, communications and manufacturing.
The recognition comes after a public fallout between Trump and Musk last year, following Musk’s departure from the Department of Government Efficiency. Musk criticised Trump’s tax-and-spending legislation, while Trump threatened to review the billionaire’s government contracts.
The two have since renewed their ties. Musk recently appeared alongside Trump at a lunch with technology leaders and was also present during Chinese President Xi Jinping’s visit. He has returned to an advisory role in the administration, co-leading the Pentagon’s Project Meridian, which examines future warfare and technologies intended to maintain US military technological superiority.
Other recipients of the National Medal of Science included Google co-founder Sergey Brin, Nvidia CEO Jensen Huang and AMD CEO Lisa Su. Dell Technologies CEO Michael Dell and Microsoft CEO Satya Nadella received the National Medal of Technology and Innovation.
The ceremony marked the first time Trump had presented either the National Medal of Science or the National Medal of Technology and Innovation during his two presidential administrations.
Established by the US Congress in 1959, the National Medal of Science is the country’s highest recognition for scientists and engineers. It recognises outstanding contributions to physical, biological, mathematical, engineering, social and behavioural sciences in service to the nation.
