Elon Musk is in regular contact with Putin, claims report; NASA chief wants probe

Elon Musk, the world’s richest person and a prominent Trump supporter, is at the center of controversy after reports emerged that he has been in regular contact with Russian President Vladimir Putin.

According to a Wall Street Journal report, Musk and Putin’s conversations have included discussions on personal topics, business, and geopolitical tensions. At one point, Putin allegedly requested Musk not to activate Starlink satellite services over Taiwan, as a favor to China’s President Xi Jinping. The Kremlin dismissed the report as “absolutely false,” with spokesperson Dmitry Peskov clarifying that Musk and Putin had only a single conversation prior to 2022, which was focused on “visionary technology.”

Musk’s ties to SpaceX give him a top-secret clearance, and some Biden administration officials have raised potential national security concerns over his alleged communication with Putin, though no evidence of security breaches has surfaced. NASA Administrator Bill Nelson expressed that if the Musk-Putin discussions are confirmed, it “should be investigated” due to possible implications for U.S. defense and intelligence agencies.

Musk, the CEO of SpaceX and Tesla and owner of X (formerly Twitter), has drawn criticism from the U.S. Justice Department, which recently issued a warning to Musk’s America PAC over its $1 million giveaways to registered voters, suggesting this may violate federal election laws. Federal law prohibits paying people to register to vote, and watchdog groups have denounced Musk’s sweepstakes as “egregious” and possibly unlawful attempts to sway the election.

In recent months, Musk, 53, has poured significant resources into supporting Trump’s 2024 campaign. Since endorsing Trump in July, he has donated approximately $118 million to his pro-Trump PAC and appeared on stage with the former president at a campaign rally in Pennsylvania. Through his platform X, Musk actively posts messages backing Trump and critiquing his opponent, Vice President Kamala Harris, to his 202 million followers. His posts often focus on issues like immigration and sometimes echo conspiracy theories.

Democratic Vice Presidential candidate Tim Walz recently accused Musk of attempting to “buy an election,” even joking that Musk, not J.D. Vance, should be seen as Trump’s real running mate. Musk’s political involvement includes a promised role from Trump if elected: heading a “government efficiency commission” focused on reducing bureaucratic waste.