Despite the dispute, Trump says he will stick with Starwood at the White House
Donald Trump and Elon Musk are still not talking, but the breakup doesn’t seem to end the free ad Musk received for himself at the White House. In a press conference on Monday, Trump told reporters that he would maintain the Starlink Internet connection that was installed at the president’s residence earlier this year, calling it “a good service.”
Trump has also put some cold water on his intention to sell Tesla he bought earlier this year in favor of Musk, which is the subject of protests and the company’s stock is saving. “I might move Tesla a little bit,” he said, but he didn’t say he was going to sell it. When asked what “walking around” means, Trump just said, “I have a lot of places.” OK! Tesla is currently in the White House, where it can be used by staff.
Although Trump intends to keep the interstellar link in the White House, security experts certainly hope he won’t. According to the Washington Post, the service was installed by Doge earlier this year and rose without the approval of the people who manage the White House communications system. They cannot monitor activity on the network, which is only protected by prompting users to provide passwords. By contrast, the major WiFi network in the White House requires people to create a username and password to connect, and those accounts expire in a week. Therefore, this is not ideal.
Trump could use security issues as a way to abandon Musk, but he is really doing his best to stay intimate with the situation – a shocking shock for someone who is not entirely known. “I wish him all the best. We have a good relationship and I just wish him all the best, everything goes well.” So, while the two are still not talking, Trump is not driving the flames.
While Trump may not give up musk-related equipment, other members of the administration may not be so loyal. The Washington Post reported this weekend that officials at NASA and Pentagon have begun pushing SpaceX competitors to step up efforts and provide alternatives to services provided by Musk-backed venture capital. The reason is not trivial or defense, but safety: Musk threatens to retire the His Dragon spacecraft, which is crucial to transport astronauts to the International Space Station. These agencies simply cannot rely on someone who can only one day declare that he will not complete the basic services they expect and sign with him.
