Trump Honors Musk and Tech Leaders with National Medals
President Trump presents Elon Musk and other tech executives with National Medals of Science at a White House summit.
2 min read
President Donald Trump honored Tesla and SpaceX CEO Elon Musk, along with other tech leaders, with the National Medal of Science during the White House’s ‘Science: A New Golden Age’ summit on Thursday, October 8, 2026.
Musk was presented with the award at the summit, where Trump praised his contributions to science and technology. ‘Few Americans in history have done more to advance America’s national interest than Elon. In one field after another, his genius and determination have made science fiction into reality,’ Trump said. He highlighted Musk’s founding of SpaceX in 2002 and the company’s role in reducing NASA’s reliance on foreign nations for space missions.
Trump also commended SpaceX for the safe return of Crew-12 from the International Space Station. Other recipients of the National Medal of Science included Google co-founder Sergey Brin, Nvidia CEO Jensen Huang, and AMD CEO Lisa Su. The medal is the highest honor for scientists and engineers in the U.S., with over 500 recipients since its establishment in 1959.
Dell Technologies founder and CEO Michael Dell and Microsoft CEO Satya Nadella received the National Medal of Technology and Innovation, the nation’s highest honor for technological achievement. Assistant White House press secretary Liz Huston stated, ‘The Trump Administration is grateful for the contributions of these incredible leaders in science and technology.’
The summit was based on a report by White House Office of Science and Technology Policy Director Michael Kratsios, which outlines steps to restore American leadership in science and technology. Kratsios emphasized the importance of innovation and the role of AI in shaping the future. ‘Today marks the most transformative day for the American scientific enterprise since the reshaping of the Federal research ecosystem following World War II,’ he said.
During the summit, Trump announced initiatives to promote STEM education and innovation, including the revival of the NSF Young Scholars Program and the launch of the Genesis Mission Fellowship, a $100 million initiative for accelerated PhDs in AI and other disciplines.
Trump also emphasized a shift from DEI initiatives to merit-based opportunities in STEM. ‘We ended DEI for scientific grants from the federal government,’ he said. ‘We now support only the gold standard of science.’
LIVE: TRUMP SPEAKS AT GOLDEN AGE OF AMERICAN INNOVATION SUMMIT https://t.co/yR0uRyeFaF
Source: OANN
