{
  "id": 13009497,
  "title": "Trump calls Musk a ‘national treasure’ while handing him top US science honour",
  "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/10/09/trump-calls-musk-a-national-treasure-while-handing-him-top-us-science",
  "topic": "world",
  "section": "World",
  "published": "2026-10-09T02:13:08.000Z",
  "source": {
    "name": "Malay Mail",
    "slug": "malay-mail-malaymail",
    "url": "https://www.malaymail.com/news/world/2026/10/09/trump-calls-musk-a-national-treasure-while-handing-him-top-us-science-honour/238334"
  },
  "original_language": "en",
  "account": "On October 9th, President Donald Trump presented Elon Musk with the National Medal of Science, the highest science honor in the United States. This occurred at a summit called \"Science: A New Golden Age\" held at a Washington peace institute recently renamed after Trump. Musk, the founder of SpaceX and Tesla, had experienced a tumultuous relationship with the president following their falling out last year over Trump's cost-cutting Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE). Despite their past disagreements, Trump described Musk as a \"national treasure\" and \"our modern-day Thomas Edison,\" referring to the inventor of the lightbulb. Alongside Musk, other notable recipients of the National Medal of Science included Google co-founder Sergey Brin, Nvidia CEO Jensen Huang, AMD chief Lisa Su, Microsoft CEO Satya Nadella, and computer mogul Michael Dell. The ceremony took place between a visibly awkward and amiable Trump and Musk, who largely avoided direct eye contact. Musk had previously been a key figure in Trump's administration, working out of a small office in the White House complex, but their relationship deteriorated over disagreements on Trump's tax and spending bill. Musk, who donated to Trump's 2024 presidential campaign, was involved in various projects and events during his time at DOGE. Since their reconciliation, Musk has been seen at various high-profile events, including a state dinner for Chinese President Xi Jinping, and is involved in discussions about artificial intelligence self-regulation.",
  "summary": "WASHINGTON, Oct 9 — Donald Trump presented Elon Musk with the top US science medal yesterday, as the rocket tycoon...",
  "key_points": [],
  "editors_take": null,
  "illustration": null,
  "coverage": {
    "outlets": 2,
    "also_reported_by": [
      {
        "outlet": "Free Press Journal",
        "title": "'Modern-Day Thomas Edison': President Trump Honours Elon Musk With National Medal Of Science, Hails His Groundbreaking Innovations In SpaceX, Starlink & Tesla | Watch",
        "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/10/09/modern-day-thomas-edison-president-trump-honours-elon-musk-with",
        "published": "2026-10-09T03:45:16.000Z"
      }
    ]
  },
  "ai_generated": true,
  "disclaimer": "Summaries, key points and the editor’s take are written by software from other outlets’ reporting and may contain errors — always check the linked original."
}