Trump Awards National Medal of Science to Elon Musk

President Trump presented Elon Musk with the National Medal of Science at the White House’s Science: A New Golden Age Summit, praising him as “an industrial titan, a brilliant engineer, and one of the greatest technology founders to ever live.” Fellow science medalists included Google co-founder Sergey Brin, Nvidia CEO Jensen Huang, and AMD CEO Lisa Su. Dell CEO Michael Dell and Microsoft CEO Satya Nadella received the National Medal of Technology and Innovation.

It marked the first time Trump has presented either award during either of his terms.

What Trump Said About Musk and Tesla

Trump’s remarks highlighted Musk’s companies. He lauded SpaceX for Starship and Starlink, and recalled calling Musk to deliver Starlink equipment to North Carolina after a major hurricane cut off communications, saying it saved hundreds of lives.

On Tesla, he described the company as “the first successful new car manufacturer in over 75 years, producing the first commercially viable electric cars with the first consumer self-driving technology.” He also referenced his uncle, Dr. John Trump, who studied Nikola Tesla’s work for the government, before concluding, “Elon is our modern-day Thomas Edison,” and calling Musk a friend.

Musk later thanked the teams at Tesla, SpaceX, Neuralink, and The Boring Company on X. The honor comes as Musk recently reclaimed his spot as the world’s first and only trillionaire after a dip in his on-paper wealth.

You can watch Trump’s full speech via @SawyerMerritt.

From Feud to Medal

The ceremony followed a public falling out in summer 2025 over Trump’s spending bill, shortly after Musk stepped away from leading the Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) for the Trump administration. Trump threatened to end EV subsidies — which he eventually did — and SpaceX’s government contracts.

Musk has since admitted he got too involved in politics, saying in a July interview, “I think I got a little too involved in politics,” and has refocused on his companies. The relationship has warmed, with Musk joining Trump on an official visit to China and attending the White House state dinner for Chinese President Xi Jinping in September.

Trump’s stance on EVs has shifted less. At a rally in Las Vegas in August, he called EV drivers “crazy” and mocked range anxiety as a “disease,” while adding, “We love Elon.” He has now awarded the nation’s top science honor to the person most responsible for bringing EVs into the mainstream.