Trump to honour Elon Musk with US national medal of science

On Thursday, US President Donald Trump will award the National Medal of Science to tech entrepreneur Elon Musk, recognizing his significant contributions to scientific and engineering innovation. This prestigious honor joins a list of similar recognitions bestowed upon Google co-founder Sergey Brin, Nvidia's Jensen Huang, Advanced Micro Devices CEO Lisa Su, Dell Technologies' Michael Dell, and Microsoft CEO Satya Nadella. The White House’s "Science: A New Golden Age" summit will host these notable figures.

The National Medal of Science is the highest honor bestowed upon scientists and engineers in the United States. It is the first time Trump has presented either medal during his tenure. Prior to this, Musk had been embroiled in a public disagreement with Trump, who once aimed to shrink the federal workforce. In addition, Musk donated over $290 million to Trump's 2024 campaign, and each honouree has shown support for Trump or Republican causes in some way.

According to White House spokeswoman Liz Huston, these recipients are vital in maintaining America's leadership in innovation. Musk's substantial financial contributions to Trump's 2024 campaign, along with the support shown by the other honourees, have set the stage for this momentous occasion. White House press secretary Liz Huston emphasized that these recipients are instrumental in ensuring America continues to lead the world in innovation.

The recipients have demonstrated their commitment to Trump and Republican causes through various means, such as donations to the Republican National Committee, attending Trump's second inauguration, and pledging substantial financial support to the "Trump Accounts" program. Dell and his wife Susan have pledged $6.25 billion to the program, while Nvidia has pledged to match the US Treasury's $1,000 contributions for its employees.