Musk Walks Back Threat to Scrap SpaceX Dragon After Clash With Trump

In one of the most bizarre episodes of tech-meets-politics drama yet, Elon Musk threatened to pull the plug on a cornerstone of America’s space program only to reverse course hours later after facing blowback from both NASA and the public.

It all began Thursday morning, when President Donald Trump issued a blistering post on Truth Social targeting Musk’s bottom line “The easiest way to save money in our Budget, Billions and Billions of Dollars, is to terminate Elon’s Governmental Subsidies and Contracts. I was always surprised that Biden didn’t do it!”

Trump’s post came amid an escalating feud between the president and Musk over the so-called “One Big Beautiful Bill,” a signature piece of Trump’s economic agenda that has already cleared the House. Musk, now clearly in opposition, has blasted the bill as a “disgusting abomination.”

In retaliation, Musk posted on X (formerly Twitter) “In light of the President’s statement about cancellation of my government contracts, @SpaceX will begin decommissioning its Dragon spacecraft immediately.”

That sparked panic in Washington. NASA’s press secretary, Bethany Stevens, issued a statement within hours, reaffirming the agency’s commitment to fulfilling Trump’s goals in space, with or without Musk’s tantrums “We will continue to work with our industry partners to ensure the President’s objectives in space are met.”

But by nightfall, Musk was backpedaling.

A user on X commented, “This is a shame this back and forth. You are both better than this. Cool off and take a step back for a couple days.” Musk replied “Good advice. Ok, we won’t decommission Dragon.”

Translation: Musk blinked.

This is just the latest example of what happens when billionaires who rely heavily on federal contracts cross the man holding the pen in the Oval Office. Trump made clear Thursday that he’s not afraid to call out corporate welfare when it runs contrary to the nation’s financial interests:

“I don’t mind Elon turning against me, but he should have done so months ago. This is one of the Greatest Bills ever presented to Congress. It’s a Record Cut in Expenses, $1.6 Trillion Dollars, and the Biggest Tax Cut ever given. If this Bill doesn’t pass, there will be a 68% Tax Increase… I didn’t create this mess, I’m just here to FIX IT.”

The reality is clear: America’s debt has soared past $36 trillion, and tough decisions have to be made. That includes re-evaluating sweetheart deals with mega-corporations like SpaceX that are raking in billions while pretending to stand apart from politics.

Musk may be throwing barbs on social media, but President Trump is doing what real leaders do taking decisive action to protect America’s future, regardless of media spin or billionaire backlash.

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