But behind the scenes, the White House quietly ordered a full-scale review of every federal contract involving SpaceX, from the Department of Defense to NASA. What they got back was not what they were hoping for.
The Review That Changed Everything
According to a Wall Street Journal investigation, a senior official from the General Services Administration instructed the Pentagon to outline every SpaceX transaction currently active — and whether a competitor could feasibly take over.
But the final assessment, insiders say, was damning to Trump’s proposal: most SpaceX deals were deemed essential to national security, defense capabilities, and America’s continued leadership in space.
In short, cutting SpaceX off wasn’t just risky — it was unthinkable.
“The reality is the government relies on SpaceX in ways few people fully understand,” said one defense insider. “There just isn’t another company that can match their technology or delivery speed.”
Competitors like Boeing, meanwhile, have struggled to catch up, leaving Musk with what many describe as a near-monopoly on critical services like rocket launches and low Earth orbit satellite operations.
Musk’s Space Power Play
In the midst of the standoff, Musk threatened to decommission Crew Dragon, the only American-certified spacecraft capable of transporting astronauts to and from the International Space Station (ISS). The timing couldn’t have been more sensitive.
Just weeks earlier, Crew Dragon had rescued two astronauts — Butch Wilmore and Suni Williams — who were stranded aboard the ISS for 286 days after a Boeing Starliner suffered mechanical failures.
What was supposed to be a week-long mission turned into a nine-month space ordeal, resolved only when Musk’s spacecraft brought the astronauts home in March.
NASA officials, rattled by Musk’s threats, privately expressed concern. Sources say SpaceX President Gwynne Shotwell met with White House representatives during the review to reinforce the company’s ongoing commitment — and leverage its unmatched value.
Despite the ongoing feud, SpaceX has continued racking up contracts in 2025, including:
A $5.9 billion deal to perform 28 national security launches
The deployment of an upgraded GPS satellite for the U.S. Space Force
Preparations to send a new crew to the ISS in the coming weeks
Behind the Trump-Musk Meltdown
The Trump-Musk fallout began over Musk’s criticism of the “Big Beautiful Bill,” a sweeping government spending plan backed by the Trump administration. Musk warned the bill could “bankrupt America,” estimating it would add $3.3 to $4.5 billion to the national debt.
Trump hit back hard.
“Elon may get more subsidy than any human in history,” Trump wrote in a Truth Social post. “Without subsidies, he’d probably have to shut it all down and go back to South Africa… No more rockets, satellites, or electric cars. We’d save a FORTUNE.”
“Maybe DOGE should take a good, hard look at this. BIG MONEY TO BE SAVED!!!”
Epstein Files Fuel the Fire
Fueling the feud even further is the Epstein scandal, a political powder keg that has reignited among Trump’s own MAGA base.
Trump recently dismissed the much-rumored Epstein client list as a “hoax created by Democrats.” Musk didn’t hold back.
“Wow, amazing that Epstein ‘killed himself’ and Ghislaine is in federal prison for a hoax,” Musk posted to X, his own platform.
“He should just release the files and point out which part is the hoax,” he added in another post.
Musk’s comments have amplified growing frustration from Trump supporters who believe the president is stonewalling on one of the most disturbing scandals of the century.
Too Big to Cancel?
What Trump wanted was a clean break from Musk. What he got was a brutal truth: Elon Musk may be the one man too powerful to cancel.
Despite their feud, the government is more entangled with SpaceX than ever — and even Trump’s most loyal allies in defense and aerospace admit that America’s dominance in space depends on Musk, no matter the politics.
As one insider put it:
“You can mock him, fight him, even threaten to defund him. But in the end? You still need his rockets.”