The White House has tamped down talk of withdrawing Elon Musk’s billions of dollars worth of government contracts after their epic feud.
But a pivotal role floated for his SpaceX company to help build Trump’s proposed $175 billion ‘Golden Dome’ missile shield could still be under threat.
‘No efforts have been made on that front, as far as I’m aware,’ is how White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt responded when recently asked whether the administration was looking at nixing Musk’s contracts.
That came after the president wrote publicly about terminating his ‘governmental subsidies and contracts’ and warned of ‘serious consequences’ if Musk decided to financially support Democrats.
The pair fell out after Musk railed against Trump’s ‘big, beautiful bill’ after forecasts showed it would tack trillions onto the national debt.
Their explosive feud finally ended after Musk started posting favorable tweets, phoned Trump, and said he regretted ‘some of my posts’ in their X war.
Musk companies have existing contracts estimated at $38 billion without the Golden Dome.
Now, the role for his company has come into question, Reuters reported, citing three people familiar with the project.
It would be an abrupt turnaround from when Trump sat next to a graphic poster board showing a protective dome intended to shield the nation from incoming missiles.
The White House had been pushing consideration of a plan where Musk’s rocket and satellite company – which ferries astronauts and payloads to the International Space Station – would be a key partner in the project. Also involved would be Palantir and drone maker Anduril.
President Trump says he wishes Elon Musk ‘well’ after the two men spoke and their feud tamped down
But a ‘new framework’ is now under consideration which would scrap the need for Musk’s network of orbiting satellites.
It would focus on ‘existing ground systems for missile defense instead,’ according to the report.
‘The Trump Administration is committed to a rigorous review process for all bids and contracts, prioritizing the best deal for America and leveraging the most advanced and innovative technology. Decisions will be made at the appropriate time, based on thorough evaluation, and will not be previewed in the press,’ White House principal deputy press secretary Harrison Fields told the Daily Mail amid the uncertainty.
It is unclear how this reworked system would counter the growing threat of hypersonic missiles, which can travel up to 10 times the speed of sound and change direction mid-flight.
The Pentagon had been considering various plans, including some relying on multiple satellites and even space-based interceptors.
A Defense official told Reuters that DOD ‘has no announcements regarding future contracts associated with the Golden Dome effort.’
The White House said the administration is ‘committed to a rigorous review process for all bids and contracts.
Trump announced his Golden Dome to much fanfare from the Oval Office.
Republicans put $25 billion for it in the House version of his ‘big, beautiful’ bill now making its way through the Senate.
‘‘We’re going to have it at the highest level,’ Trump said. ‘Canada has called us and they want to be a part of it,’ he said, adding that ‘as usual, we help Canada as best we can.’
The administration is lauding Golden Dome as a game changer. It would involve billions in contracts even under Trump’s $175 billion total cost estimate
Musk’s network of satellites and his SpaceX delivery systems could play a role
‘We’re talking about $175 billion total cost when it’s completed,’ Trump said.
Pressed on whether military brass liked the idea, Trump responded: ‘I suggested it and they all said, “We love the idea sir.” That’s the way it’s supposed to be, right?’
Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth called it ‘a down payment on President Trump’s priority to defend our homeland.’
Defense contractors were scrambling this spring to submit more than 300 concept papers.
Some doubt Trump’s budget estimates as lowballs. Former Pentagon comptroller Dov Zakheim estimated it could cost up to $100 billion each year through 2030.
The Daily Mail has reached out to the White House for comment.
