Trump Presents Elon Musk with the US National Medal of Science

US President Donald Trump on Thursday, 8 October, presented the National Medal of Science, one of the country's highest scientific honours, at a ceremony held at the Institute of Peace in Washington, D.C. The recipients were SpaceX CEO Elon Musk, Google cofounder Sergey Brin, Nvidia CEO Jensen Huang and AMD chief Lisa Su.

Opening the event, Trump spoke of advances in science and technology in what he called the "golden age of America". He reserved particular praise for Musk, describing him as an "industrial titan" and "our modern-day Thomas Edison". According to Trump, Musk's genius and determination have turned science fiction into reality.

The White House rationale

A White House press release said Musk was honoured for engineering achievements of extraordinary ambition and scale that have pushed the frontiers of space exploration, intelligent systems and communications, renewing American technological leadership and opening a new chapter in American manufacturing.

A volatile relationship

Trump and Musk have had a changeable relationship in recent years. Musk joined Trump's presidential campaign in its later stages and, after Trump returned to the White House in January 2025, led the cost-cutting Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE). The relationship fractured when Musk criticised Trump's spending bill, the "One Big Beautiful Bill", and the two entered a bitter public feud.

In recent weeks, Musk has moved back into Trump's orbit. He is set to become co-director of "Project Meridian", commissioned by the US Department of Defense. The project will study the future of warfare, identify the weapons and technologies the US military will need, and propose "actionable solutions" for developing, testing and fielding these capabilities.