Fact Check: Did Trump and Musk trade barbs over overcharging Starlink satellites?
WASHINGTON, DC: According to a rumor circulating on social media platforms, President Donald Trump and Trillionaire Elon Musk have clashed over the alleged overpricing of the Starlink satellites used by the United States military. The claim has sparked criticism and concerns among online users, prompting a fact-check into the viral claim.
Claim: Trump and Elon Musk had a heated exchange
The post claimed Trump took to his Truth Social account, stating, “Elon’s Starlink is overcharging the U.S. Military! If prices aren't cut by 50% in 24 hours, we will strip SpaceX of all government contracts and hand them to Boeing!"
In response, Musk allegedly replied on X, stating, “Good luck getting to orbit on Boeing. Starlink satellite constellation over Washington D.C. is being put on 'Maintenance Mode' effective immediately."
The post ends by alleging that Musk turned off Starlink over major US military bases, causing the Pentagon to panic, the market to crash, and Tesla stock to jump by 18% in after-hours trading.
The claim has been amplified by several accounts on X, garnering hundreds of thousands of views as of this writing.
Fact Check: No such argument took place between Trump and Elon Musk
However, the claim is false and exaggerated, as there are no reports of such a heated exchange between the president and Tesla CEO.
A search on Trump's Truth Social account and Musk’s X account for the alleged statement yielded no results.
No credible news media outlets have reported on the claim, which, if true, would have made headlines, given the involvement of the world’s two most powerful men and a market crash.
Additionally, the claim originated from a parody account called ‘US Military Power,’ which describes itself in its bio as ‘Unofficial commentary page.’
Volodymyr Zelensky's Starlink request to Trump
The claim surfaced after Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky, in a public meeting earlier this year, asked Trump to help convince Musk to expand Ukraine’s access to the internet from Starlink satellites to use for drone strikes against Russia.
Musk has allowed Ukraine to use the Starlink service throughout the country and in some territories occupied by Russia, but in 2023 he barred Russia from accessing the network, saying that its use was unauthorized.
Reports suggest that Trump will approve Zelensky’s request only if he believes that it could help bring the war to an end.
