Regardless of Feud, Trump Says He’ll Stick With Starlink at White Home

Donald Trump and Elon Musk nonetheless aren’t talking, however the breakup doesn’t appear as if it should carry an finish to the free promoting that Musk bought for himself within the White Home. In a press convention on Monday, Trump told reporters that he’s going to maintain the Starlink web connection that was put in on the presidential residence earlier this 12 months, calling it “an excellent service.”

Trump additionally threw some chilly water on the concept that he was going to sell his Tesla that he purchased earlier this 12 months as a favor to Musk whereas Tesla was the topic of protests and the corporate’s inventory was tanking. “I could transfer the Tesla round a bit bit,” he said, however he didn’t say he supposed to promote it. When requested what “transferring it round” means, Trump simply stated, “I’ve plenty of places.” Okay! The Tesla is presently on the White Home, the place it’s out there for staffers to make use of.

Whereas Trump intends to maintain Starlink linked on the White Home, safety specialists positive want he wouldn’t. The service, which was reportedly put in by DOGE earlier this 12 months, per the Washington Post, went up with out the approval of the individuals who handle White Home communications methods. They had been unable to observe exercise on the community, which was solely protected by a immediate asking customers to offer a password. By comparability, the White Home’s main WiFi community requires folks to create a username and password as a way to join, and people accounts expire after one week. So, that’s not supreme.

Trump may use the safety issues as a approach to ditch Musk, however he’s actually doing his finest to stay cordial about the entire scenario—a shock for a man who will not be precisely identified to be above petty potshots and insults. He went as far as to say on Monday, “I want him effectively. We had an excellent relationship and I simply want him effectively, very effectively truly.” So whereas the 2 nonetheless aren’t speaking, Trump isn’t fanning the flames.

And whereas Trump will not be ditching his Musk-related gear, the remainder of the federal government will not be so loyal. The Washington Post reported this weekend that officers at each NASA and the Pentagon began pushing SpaceX opponents to step up and provide alternate options to the companies offered by the Musk-backed enterprise. The rationale isn’t petty or vindictive, however moderately safety-related: Musk threatened to decommission its Dragon spacecraft, which is important for transporting astronauts to the Worldwide Area Station. The businesses merely can’t depend on a man who may simply in the future declare he’s not going to finish a vital service they’re relying on and contracted out to him.