Trump mocked as Elon Musk gives him epic side-eye over absurd question about SpaceX Starship booster

BROWNSVILLE, TEXAS: Donald Trump visited SpaceX's launch site in Brownsville, Texas, on Tuesday, November 19, with his 17-year-old granddaughter Kai Trump, who had her camera rolling.

What could go wrong? Well, thanks to Kai’s behind-the-scenes vlog, we now know exactly what went down when Trump tried to talk rocket science with Elon Musk—and let’s just say it was a little awkward.

Donald Trump asks Elon Musk odd question about reusing booster after it crashed into the sea 

The scene was set for a big day. President-elect Donald Trump showed up to watch the latest test flight of SpaceX's Starship rocket system, one of Elon Musk’s boldest projects.

The NASA-backed program is all about reusable rocket boosters, which Musk hopes will cut the cost of each Starship flight in half—a cool $100 million per launch, as reported by the Financial Times.

Last month, SpaceX pulled off a mind-blowing move where giant mechanical arms on the launch tower caught a rocket booster in mid-air as it blasted back to Earth. So naturally, expectations were sky-high for this launch. But things didn’t go as planned.

Just four minutes in, the mission director pulled the plug on the tower catch and the booster was sent crashing into the Gulf of Mexico. Why? There were concerns about the tower, so safety came first.

That’s when Trump stepped in and turned what could’ve been a quiet moment into one of the most bizarre exchanges of the day.

Musk explained, "We had some concerns about the tower, so it was commanded to land out at sea." Trump looked genuinely amazed as he replied, "Amazing." Then, he asked the million-dollar question: "Can they use that again? Can they get it from the sea?"

Musk appeared to try not to laugh. After a stammer or two, he managed to say, "Uhh, it’s going to be... it’s... it’s probably gonna blow up. That’s my guess." 

Kai’s vlog also gave us a rare glimpse of her grandfather looking... not so alpha. Usually, Trump is the guy who dominates every room, but this time he seemed out of his element.

Body language expert Darren Stanton told The Telegraph that Trump was "out of his depth." He added, “Usually, he comes over as this alpha male, the most empowered, most powerful person in the room. But here, his hands were just by his side like a mannequin." 

Internet has a field day over Donald Trump and Elon Musk's awkward exchange

Of course, netizens wasted no time roasting Donald Trump for his booster blunder.

One wrote, "Musk may suddenly realize how ignorant Trump really is!"

Another said, "Kai Trump's video shows Grandpa out of his element at Elon Musk’s SpaceX launch last week. In a 'cringe-worthy' moment, Trump sends Musk into 'an awkward spiral' after he asks him whether a rocket booster can be reused after it has crashed into a fireball. STOOPID!!"

A person asked, "Do you think Trump understood what Elon said?" while someone else remarked, "Trump is way out of his knowledge 'folder.'"

"Nobody knows as much about rocket boosters as Trump," another quipped.

Donald Trump and Elon Musk have been practically inseparable since Election Day

Awkward rocket chat aside, Elon Musk and Donald Trump seem tighter than ever. Since the November 5 election, the two have been practically inseparable — hanging out at Mar-a-Lago, walking the golf course, and brainstorming together.

Earlier this month, Kai even shared a photo of Musk, his son X Æ A-Xii (aka "Ex Ash A 12"), and herself on Trump’s West Palm Beach golf course. She joked that Musk had officially reached "uncle status."

And it’s not just for show—Trump recently announced a new agency called the Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE). Guess who’s running it? Musk and Vivek Ramaswamy.

Even the Tesla CEO's mother, Maye Musk, is loving this bromance. In an interview on Fox Business’s Varney & Co, she gushed about how much fun the two are having.

"Of course, I've seen them together, but very shortly," she said. "I live in New York, and they're in Mar-a-Lago or [a] SpaceX launch, and they just seem to be having fun. A lot of fun."

"And it's nice for both of them to have fun, and [Elon] really respects him a lot and is really happy that there's a future for America now," she added.

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