‘Modern-day Thomas Edison’ Elon Musk receives National Medal of Science from Trump

President Donald Trump awarded Elon Musk the National Medal of Science on Thursday, praising the SpaceX chief as a “modern-day Thomas Edison.”

Trump called Musk a “national treasure” during the White House ceremony. He credited the billionaire with helping advance American space exploration, engineering and technology.

The award puts Musk among a select group of technology leaders receiving presidential recognition. Trump also honored Nvidia CEO Jensen Huang, Google co-founder Sergey Brin and AMD CEO Lisa Su with the National Medal of Science.

Microsoft CEO Satya Nadella and Dell founder Michael Dell received the National Medal of Technology and Innovation.

Musk gets top science honor

Musk’s recognition stands out because his work has pushed aerospace engineering into a new commercial era. SpaceX has built reusable rockets around rapid turnaround and frequent launches. Its Falcon 9 system has made repeated orbital missions a routine part of the U.S. launch industry.

The company has also developed Starship, a much larger launch system designed for deep-space missions. NASA has selected a version of Starship for planned lunar missions under its Artemis program. Trump highlighted that engineering record while presenting the medal. He compared Musk with Thomas Edison, one of America’s most famous inventors.

.@POTUS presents the National Medal of Science to Sergey Brin, @JensenHuang, @elonmusk, and @LisaSu, and the National Medal of Technology and Innovation to @MichaelDell and @satyanadella. pic.twitter.com/8IGZV6s9Of

— Rapid Response 47 (@RapidResponse47) October 8, 2026

Musk’s relationship with Trump had fallen apart after he left the administration in May 2025, but Thursday showed the two have found their footing again. The ceremony also unfolded against a fresh dispute over skilled foreign workers.

Vice President JD Vance announced that Microsoft would face restrictions over its use of the H-1B visa system. The program allows companies to employ skilled foreign workers in specialized jobs.

The timing was notable because Trump honored Microsoft CEO Satya Nadella later that day. Nadella, who immigrated to the U.S. from India, received the National Medal of Technology and Innovation.

White House unveils science push

The ceremony coincided with a much broader White House effort to accelerate U.S. research and technical development. The administration announced more than $6 billion in combined commitments from government, industry, academia and philanthropic groups. The initiative covers scientific research, education and advanced technology.

Welcome to a NEW GOLDEN AGE OF SCIENCE.

The Trump Admin just launched the biggest set of science initiatives in decades: $6B+ across government, industry, academia, & philanthropy. pic.twitter.com/Pyvx6ixe2k

— The White House (@WhiteHouse) October 8, 2026

The plan includes $100 million for high school students conducting research at Department of Energy laboratories. Another $100 million fellowship will support accelerated PhD programs combining advanced computing with scientific or engineering disciplines.

The White House also announced Generation Discovery. That program will bring 100 early-career scientists into the National Institutes of Health research system. Trump’s initiative singles out several strategic areas. They include super intelligence, quantum computing, fusion, and space exploration.

That focus puts Musk’s work squarely inside the administration’s broader technology strategy. It also explains why executives from the semiconductor and computing industries featured so prominently at the summit.

Tech takes center stage

Huang, Brin and Su received the National Medal of Science alongside Musk. Nadella and Dell received the technology and innovation award.

Five of the six recipients were born outside the United States. Musk came from South Africa, while Huang and Su were born in Taiwan. Brin was born in Russia, and Nadella came from India.

Trump also made headlines Thursday over his preferred terminology for advanced computing. He said people using “Artificial Intelligence” instead of “Super Intelligence” would be considered an “enemy” of the White House.

All in all, it was quite an eventful day for Trump’s technological push. With the midterms around the corner, it will be interesting to see how that message resonates with voters.

Source: https://interestingengineering.com/culture/elon-musk-donald-trump-science-medal