Why Trump Needs to Make Peace with Elon Musk

- June 08, 2025

Why Trump Needs to Make Peace with Elon Musk

This week, headlines lit up with something straight out of a political drama: President Donald Trump and Elon Musk, once allies, are now in a very public feud. What started as a disagreement over a Republican spending bill has snowballed into threats, deleted tweets, a $150 billion stock market wipeout, and even rumors of a brand-new political party. But beneath all the drama, there’s a real question Americans should be asking: can the U.S. afford to let these two titans stay at war?

Here’s why Trump, and the country, would be smarter to patch things up with Musk—and what’s really at stake for all of us.

1. Musk Is More Than Just a CEO—He’s a National Asset

Let’s cut to the chase: Elon Musk isn’t just selling electric cars or launching flashy rockets for fun. He’s fundamentally changing how the U.S. does business, in ways that directly benefit the government and the American taxpayer.

Space at a Fraction of the Cost: NASA’s old-school rockets (the Space Launch System) cost around $4 billion per launch. Musk’s Starship, by comparison, is aiming for just $100 million a pop.

Jobs Everywhere: SpaceX and Tesla aren’t just coastal darlings—they support over 16,000 U.S. suppliers, meaning jobs and economic activity in every state.

Critical National Security: Think Starlink is just for internet memes? It’s keeping American defense operations connected and played a key role in Ukraine’s air defense.

Bottom line: Hurting Musk’s businesses doesn’t just sting Silicon Valley—it hits Main Street and the Pentagon too.

2. How the Feud Escalated—And Why It’s a Big Deal

This isn’t just a clash of egos. Here’s how things went off the rails:

June 5

Trump told NBC he’d cut all government contracts if Musk supported Democrats.

Threatening to pull NASA and DoD contracts over politics makes critical missions a bargaining chip.

June 6

Tesla stock crashed 14%, erasing $150 billion in value.

This wasn’t just Musk’s money—retirement funds, mutual funds, and small investors got hit too.

June 7

Musk, after deleting some sharp tweets, polled followers about forming a new “America Party.” 80% said yes.

Now Trump’s got a new political rival—with a bigger social media megaphone than anyone.

3. What’s at Stake for America

This feud could go beyond the headlines and memes—real things are on the line:

What’s at Risk

NASA Missions

Proposed 47% budget cut could stall Mars, Earth, and deep space projects.

Cutting big NASA missions kills high-paying jobs—often in Trump-friendly states like Texas and Alabama.

Space Leadership

Starship and Crew Dragon are the only way the U.S. can get astronauts and cargo to the Moon or ISS quickly.

If delayed, China could win the new “space race.”

U.S. Manufacturing

Tesla’s American gigafactories and supply chains support 90,000+ jobs.

A shaky EV sector means layoffs and lost innovation.

Tesla and SpaceX are big parts of many index funds.

Political chaos that tanks these stocks can hit millions of Americans’ retirement savings.

4. Three Smart Ways for Trump to Turn This Around

1. Don’t Hold NASA Hostage
Draw a line: whatever happens politically, keep SpaceX launches, ISS cargo, and Starlink contracts safe. Don’t use science and security as pawns.

2. Incentivize American Innovation
Instead of blanket tariffs that hurt everyone, offer smart R&D tax breaks—reward U.S.-made tech, keep Tesla and SpaceX building here, and still keep the pressure on China.

3. Make Space Cooperation a Signature Achievement
Imagine a bipartisan Moon-to-Mars Council, co-chaired by NASA and SpaceX. Trump gets to say “America First in space”—Musk gets to keep building rockets. Everybody wins.

5. A Personal Message for President Trump

Mr. President,
You won the last election in part because innovators like Musk got behind your vision for American leadership. Now, America’s affordable launches, satellite internet, and cutting-edge cars are riding on his companies. Risking that over a political spat isn’t leadership—it’s handing our rivals a win. Let’s negotiate, keep the science moving, and make the next American Moon landing a Trump-Musk victory—not a cautionary tale.

6. Final Thought

Elon Musk isn’t perfect—few world-changers are. But let’s face facts: the United States needs his rockets, satellites, and factories more than he needs D.C. photo ops. For jobs, for science, for America’s place in the world, it’s time for both sides to bury the hatchet.