According to author Michael Wolff, Elon Musk tried to gain President Trump’s interest in SpaceX’s plan to colonize Mars.
The claim comes from Michael Wolff’s controversial new book, Fire and Fury: Inside the Trump White House, and details Elon Musk’s efforts to get the newly-elected president on board with SpaceX’s plan to colonize other planets, starting with Mars.
“Elon Musk, in Trump Tower, pitched Trump on the new administration’s joining him in his race to Mars, which Trump jumped at,” an excerpt from the book reads.
When asked about the excerpt, a SpaceX spokesperson confirmed that the conversation between Musk and President Trump did occur, clarifying however that “it wasn’t about Elon personally getting to Mars but rather making humans multi-planetary, which is the SpaceX mission.”
Trump has expressed interest in revitalizing the nation’s space program. In March of 2017, Trump signed a bill that called for a $19.5 billion yearly budget for NASA. In December, Trump signed a policy directive that encouraged NASA to re-open efforts to travel to the moon.
“This time, we will not only plant our flag and leave our footprints,” Trump said during the signing of the directive. “We will establish a foundation for an eventual mission to Mars, and perhaps someday, to many worlds beyond.”
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