Trump reveals moment during SpaceX test when Musk had an ‘effect’ on him: ‘Grabbed like a little baby’
WASHINGTON, DC: President Donald Trump shared his admiration for tech billionaire Elon Musk while sitting down with him for a joint interview that aired on Fox News on Tuesday, February 18.
The 78-year-old commander-in-chief did not hold back his praise for the Tesla CEO, whom he has appointed as the chair of the newly formed Department of Government Efficiency.
The alliance between the two began in the run-up to the 2024 election when Musk endorsed Trump and donated $288 million to his presidential campaign.
Trump: Something that really had an effect on me was seeing the rocket come back and get grabbed—like a baby.
— Libs of TikTok (@libsoftiktok) February 19, 2025
Elon: You can’t have a rocket program if you’re dumping a billion dollars into the ocean every time you fly—you have to save it. pic.twitter.com/N4qMOLLEUE
The moment with Elon Musk that had an 'effect' on Donald Trump
During the Fox News interview, Donald Trump told host Sean Hannity that he had failed to find someone "smarter" than Elon Musk, joking, "I searched all over but I couldn't. I searched all over the country. I couldn't find anyone smarter. So we settled on this guy."
He later revealed that Musk always had his respect, saying, "Well, I respect him. I’ve always respected him. I never knew that he was right on certain things, and I’m usually pretty good at this stuff. He did Starlink. He did things that were so advanced and nobody knew what the hell they were. We watch the rocket ships, and we watch Tesla."
He then went on to reveal the moment he shared with Musk that had a special impact on him, as per the Irish Star.
"I think, you know, something that had an effect on me was when I saw the rocket ship come back and get grabbed like you grab a beautiful little baby. You grab your baby. I’d never seen (that)," shared Trump.
The POTUS was referring to the Musk-owned company SpaceX successfully recapturing a rocket booster after launch on the pad itself last year, which is a ground-breaking feat in the field of space exploration.
Launch and return are fundamental techniques for Starship’s fully and rapidly reusable design pic.twitter.com/vrTdGkB08s
— SpaceX (@SpaceX) October 13, 2024
Internet lauds SpaceX's achievement
People online reacting to Donald Trump's comments on the social media platform X cheered for the milestone achieved by SpaceX. The following tweets demonstrate their takes.
"Yeah that rocket catch was pretty sweet wasn't it," wrote a user.
"We live in a world where forward-thinking can redefine what’s possible!" shared another.
We live in a world where forward-thinking can redefine what’s possible!
— 𝕏treme Motivation (@Kim_xtreme) February 19, 2025
"Rocket science, baby! Grabbing rockets like babies," quipped a third.
"It’s the first step towards serious space innovation! Get us to Mars Elon!" stated one.
It’s the first step towards serious space innovation! Get us to Mars Elon!
— Kyle 🦒 (@kyle_andrew7) February 19, 2025
"Wouldn’t it be wild to see more industries embrace this kind of sustainability?" expressed another.
Wouldn’t it be wild to see more industries embrace this kind of sustainability?
— Mr Shelby (@mrshelby101) February 19, 2025
"Smart policies + genius engineering = unstoppable future!" noted one individual.
Smart policies + genius engineering = unstoppable future!
— StateOfTheDebate (@StateOTDebate) February 19, 2025
This article contains remarks made on the Internet by individual people and organizations. MEAWW cannot confirm them independently and does not support claims or opinions being made online.
