Tesla stands to gain from Elon Musk’s rekindled friendship with President Trump – Teslarati
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“He’s 80% super genius and 20% he makes mistakes, but he’s a good guy. He’s a well-meaning person.”
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Tesla CEO Elon Musk and President Donald Trump are back in each other’s good graces, and after a lengthy period where the two were at odds, the pair seemed to make up back in September.
The two were spotted at dinner at Trump’s Mar-a-Lago estate in West Palm Beach over the weekend, which was followed by a press conference on Air Force One, where the President called Musk, “great.”
He continued:
“He’s 80% super genius and 20% he makes mistakes, but he’s a good guy. He’s a well-meaning person.”
Musk previously had a position in Trump’s White House, as he was in charge of reducing government spending and waste by leading the Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE). Musk stepped back from his role in the government last year to focus on Tesla and SpaceX, as well as other projects.
Trump tonight on @elonmusk: “Elon’s great. He’s 80% super genius and 20% he makes mistakes, but he’s a good guy. He’s a well meaning person.” pic.twitter.com/QUprw06bie
— Sawyer Merritt (@SawyerMerritt) January 5, 2026
Trump tonight on @elonmusk: “Elon’s great. He’s 80% super genius and 20% he makes mistakes, but he’s a good guy. He’s a well meaning person.” pic.twitter.com/QUprw06bie
— Sawyer Merritt (@SawyerMerritt) January 5, 2026
However, Musk, back in Trump’s good graces, stands to get some assistance for Tesla from the White House moving forward, especially as he and the President are back to being friends and allies.
Reduced Scrutiny from a Regulatory Standpoint
Tesla has been the subject of several National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) probes, including ones that dive into Autopilot and Full Self-Driving and incidents involving the two.
Trump has already initiated a more relaxed environment for autonomous vehicle oversight. Last January, he proposed a voluntary framework system for self-driving vehicles, which reduced barriers for companies involved with autonomy.
In April, he relaxed crash reporting and exemptions for autonomous vehicles, creating a clearer pathway for companies to innovate and easing compliance burdens.
In September, Transportation Secretary Sean P. Duffy led efforts to update FMVSS, eliminating redundant human-driver requirements. This aimed to create a single national standard, boosting deployment and eliminating much of the bureaucracy that stalls innovation.
Favorable Autonomous Vehicle Framework
Some of the moves that were mentioned previously will assist Tesla in rolling out its Robotaxi network across the country, and although it currently has to go through the process on a state-level, things could become easier for Tesla and other companies exploring self-driving vehicles.
Musk could have a direct line to Trump that would help create fewer regulatory barriers for the companies involved in developing autonomous vehicles, which would directly benefit Tesla, but also its competitors like Waymo.
Protection from International Competition via Trade Policies
It is no secret that the President is focused on domesticating manufacturing, AI efforts, and everything in between. This is enforced by the tariffs the White House enforced last year, which have prioritized U.S.-based companies.
This could shield Tesla from potential foreign competitors, especially ones like BYD, which have been formidable opponents.
Overall, these gains stem from a more aligned political environment, where Musk’s influence could prioritize deregulation over enforcement; this leads to more innovation and relaxed regulations, but there are some risks. However, outcomes are dependent on the depth of President Trump and Musk’s reconciliation.
Long-term benefits to Tesla would require concrete policy actions.
Joey has been a journalist covering electric mobility at TESLARATI since August 2019. In his spare time, Joey is playing golf, watching MMA, or cheering on any of his favorite sports teams, including the Baltimore Ravens and Orioles, Miami Heat, Washington Capitals, and Penn State Nittany Lions. You can get in touch with joey at joey@teslarati.com. He is also on X @KlenderJoey. If you’re looking for great Tesla accessories, check out shop.teslarati.com
SpaceX has given Elon Musk the goal to put one million people on Mars.
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SpaceX’s board approved a compensation plan for Elon Musk that ties his pay directly to colonizing Mars and building data centers in outer space. The details surfaced this week after Reuters reviewed SpaceX’s confidential registration statement filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission, making it one of the first concrete looks inside the company’s financials ahead of a public offering.
The pay package will reportedly award Musk 200 million super-voting restricted shares if the company hits a market valuation milestone, with the most ambitious targets going further. To unlock the full award, SpaceX would need to reach a $7.5 trillion valuation and help establish a permanent human settlement on Mars with at least one million residents. Additional incentives are tied to developing space-based computing infrastructure capable of delivering at least 100 terawatts of processing power.
SpaceX wins its first MARS contract but it comes with a catch
SpaceX wins its first MARS contract but it comes with a catch
Long before SpaceX filed anything with the SEC, Elon Musk had already spent years framing Mars colonization as an insurance policy against human extinction. The philosophy traces back to at least 2001, when Musk first began researching Mars missions independently, before SpaceX even existed. By 2002 he had founded the company with Mars as the stated long-term goal.
In a 2017 presentation at the International Astronautical Congress, Musk outlined the specific vision that still underpins SpaceX’s architecture today. He described a self-sustaining city on Mars requiring roughly one million people to become viable, the same number now written into his compensation package.
SpaceX’s Starship, still in active development, was designed from the ground up to support the eventual colonization of Mars. Musk has stated publicly that getting the cost per ton to Mars below $100,000 is necessary to make mass migration economically feasible. Everything from Starship’s payload capacity to its full reusability targets flows from that single constraint. One can say that Musk’s latest compensation package has put a formal valuation on Mars for the first time.
SpaceX is targeting an IPO around June 28, Musk’s birthday, at a valuation of approximately $1.75 trillion. Between the Mars rover contract, the Golden Dome software group, Space Force satellite launches, and now a pay structure built around interplanetary colonization, SpaceX has become the single most consequential contractor in American space and defense. The IPO will put a public price tag on all of it for the first time.
SpaceX is fighting the FCC for spectrum that could put satellites inside every smartphone.
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SpaceX was dealt a new setback on April 23, 2006 by the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) after the U.S. government agency dismissed the company’s petition to access a Mobile Satellite Service spectrum that would allow direct-to-device (D2D) capabilities.
The FCC regulates communications by radio, television, wire, and cable, which also includes regulating D2D technology that lets your existing smartphone connect directly to a satellite orbiting Earth, the same way it would connect to a cell tower.
Elon Musk’s SpaceX has been building toward this through its Starlink Mobile service, formerly called Direct-to-Cell, in partnership with T-Mobile. The service officially launched on July 23, 2025, starting with messaging and expanding to broadband data in October of that year.
T-Mobile Starlink Pricing Announced – Early Adopters Get Exclusive Discount
T-Mobile Starlink Pricing Announced – Early Adopters Get Exclusive Discount
It’s worth noting that SpaceX is not alone in this race. AT&T and Verizon have their own satellite texting deals with AST SpaceMobile, while Verizon separately offers free satellite texting through Skylo on newer phones.
The regulatory foundation for all of this dates to March 14, 2024, when the FCC adopted the world’s first framework for what it called Supplemental Coverage from Space, allowing satellite operators to lease spectrum from terrestrial carriers and fill gaps in their coverage. On November 26, 2024, the FCC granted SpaceX the first-ever authorization under that framework, approving its partnership with T-Mobile to provide service in specific frequency bands. SpaceX then went further, completing a roughly $17 billion acquisition of wireless spectrum from EchoStar, which gave it the ability to negotiate with global carriers more independently.
Starlink’s EchoStar spectrum deal could bring 5G coverage anywhere
Starlink’s EchoStar spectrum deal could bring 5G coverage anywhere
This recent ruling by the FCC blocked SpaceX from going further, protecting incumbent spectrum holders like Globalstar and Iridium. But the market momentum is already in motion. As Teslarati reported, SpaceX is targeting peak speeds of 150 Mbps per user for its next generation Direct-to-Cell service, compared to roughly 4 Mbps today, which would bring satellite connectivity close to standard carrier performance.
With a reported IPO targeting a $1.75 trillion valuation on the horizon, each spectrum fight, carrier deal, and regulatory win or loss now carries weight beyond just connectivity. SpaceX is quietly becoming the infrastructure layer underneath the phones of millions of people, and the FCC’s next move will help determine how much further that reach extends.
FCC Satellite Rule Makings can be found here.
SpaceX joins the Golden Dome software group, deepening its role in America’s most expensive defense program.
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SpaceX has joined a nine-company group developing the core operating software for the Golden Dome, America’s next-generation missile defense system. According to a Bloomberg report, SpaceX is focused on integrating satellite communications for military operations and is working alongside eight other defense and artificial intelligence companies, including Anduril Industries, Palantir Technologies, and Aalyria Technologies, to build software connecting missile defense capabilities.
The Golden Dome concept dates back to President Trump’s 2024 campaign, and on January 27, 2025, he signed an executive order directing the U.S. Armed Forces to construct the system before the end of his term. The system is planned to employ a constellation of thousands of satellites equipped with interceptors, with data centers in space providing automated control through an AI network.
FCC accepts SpaceX filing for 1 million orbital data center plan
FCC accepts SpaceX filing for 1 million orbital data center plan
Space Force Gen. Michael Guetlein, director of the Golden Dome initiative, has described the software layer as a “glue layer” that would enable officers to manage and control radars, sensors, and missile batteries across services. The consortium is aiming to test the platform this summer.
Trump selected a design in May 2025 with a $175 billion price tag, expected to be operational by the end of his term in 2029, though the Congressional Budget Office projected the cost could reach $831 billion over two decades.
The Golden Dome role is only the latest in a string of military wins for SpaceX. As Teslarati reported, the U.S. Space Force awarded SpaceX a $178.5 million task order on April 1, 2026 to launch missile tracking satellites for the Space Development Agency, covering two Falcon 9 launches beginning in Q3 2027. That came on top of more than $22 billion in government contracts held by SpaceX as of 2024, per CEO Gwynne Shotwell, spanning NASA resupply missions, classified intelligence satellites through its Starshield program, and military broadband.
The accumulation of defense contracts, now including a seat at the table on the most expensive weapons program in U.S. history, positions SpaceX as the dominant infrastructure provider for American national security in space. With a SpaceX IPO still on the horizon, each new contract adds weight to what is already one of the most consequential companies in aerospace history, raising real questions about how much of America’s defense architecture will depend on a single private operator before it ever trades publicly.
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