WASHINGTON — President Donald J. Trump presented Elon Musk with the National Medal of Science on Thursday at the White House’s Science: A New Golden Age Summit, describing the SpaceX and Tesla CEO as “an industrial titan, a brilliant engineer, and one of the greatest technology founders to ever live.”
The ceremony took place October 8, 2026, at the U.S. Institute of Peace. Trump opened his remarks on Musk by stating, “First, we honor an industrial titan, a brilliant engineer, and one of the greatest technology founders to ever live. His name is Elon Musk. Quite honestly, there’s nobody like him.”
“Few Americans in history have done more to advance America’s national interests than Elon. In one field after another, his genius and determination have made science fiction into reality.”
Trump highlighted Musk’s founding of SpaceX in 2002 with his life savings and the company’s development of the first privately developed liquid-fueled rocket to reach orbit. He noted that SpaceX reduced U.S. reliance on foreign nations for astronaut launches and congratulated the company on the safe return of Crew-12 from the International Space Station hours earlier.
The president also referenced SpaceX’s Starship, describing it as the largest rocket in history and the first capable of being caught for rapid reuse, along with the Starlink satellite network. He praised Tesla as the first successful new American car manufacturer in more than 75 years, citing its role in commercially viable electric vehicles and consumer self-driving technology. Additional mentions included Neuralink’s work on restoring sight, speech, and motion, and advancements related to superintelligence.
“His name is Elon Musk, an industrial titan, a brilliant engineer, and one of the greatest technology founders to ever live”
— U.S. President Donald J. Trump https://t.co/eIHqJj8umW
— SMX 🇺🇸 (@iam_smx) October 10, 2026
Trump concluded the tribute by calling Musk “our modern-day Thomas Edison” and a “national treasure,” adding, “Elon, I want to congratulate you. You’re my friend and all of that, but you are a very, very special guy.”
The official White House citation for Musk reads: “For engineering achievements of extraordinary ambition and scale that have pushed the frontiers of space exploration, intelligent systems, communications, and beyond, renewing American technological leadership and opening a new chapter in American manufacturing.”
Musk received the award alongside three other National Medal of Science recipients: Google co-founder Sergey Brin, Nvidia CEO Jensen Huang, and AMD CEO Lisa Su. Microsoft CEO Satya Nadella and Dell Technologies founder Michael Dell received the National Medal of Technology and Innovation.
The National Medal of Science, established by Congress in 1959 and first awarded in 1963, recognizes outstanding contributions to science in service of the United States. The National Medal of Technology and Innovation, first awarded in 1985, honors innovators who have strengthened the economy and quality of life through vision and determination.
The Science: A New Golden Age Summit drew on a July 2026 White House Office of Science and Technology Policy report of the same name. The report marks the first major rethinking of the U.S. science and technology enterprise since Vannevar Bush’s 1945 “Science: The Endless Frontier.” Michael Kratsios, Director of the White House Office of Science and Technology Policy, stated that the medalists “have transformed their field or industry, laying the foundations for technologies we already can barely imagine living without.”
The event underscored the administration’s stated focus on restoring U.S. leadership in areas including superintelligence, space, and advanced manufacturing. Trump described the honorees as helping “pioneer an incredible future for America.”
Images from the ceremony show Trump presenting Musk with the medal in an open case against a backdrop of American flags and summit branding.