The Daily Fuckup

Donald Trump’s visit to South Texas on Nov. 19, 2024, was built around a rocket launch, but it also doubled as a demonstration of how close Elon Musk had moved to the center of Trump’s orbit. Trump watched SpaceX’s Starship Flight 6 from Starbase near Boca Chica, and the company ended the test by aborting the booster catch attempt and sending the booster to a controlled splashdown in the Gulf of Mexico.

The launch was the visible event. The political backdrop was the larger one. AP reported on Nov. 11, 2024, that Musk’s America PAC had spent around $200 million to help elect Trump, making him one of the biggest outside spenders in the race. By the time Trump was standing at SpaceX’s launch site, that earlier spending had already translated into something money alone does not always buy: direct, public access.

SpaceX’s federal ties were also part of the picture, though not because of anything that happened at the launch itself. NASA said in March 2025 that it had added Starship to SpaceX’s existing launch-services contract, underscoring how deeply the company remains intertwined with government work even as Musk operates as a political player in his own right. That does not prove any improper dealmaking at Starbase. It does show why the scene carried more than campaign-style symbolism.

Trump has spent years pitching himself as a break from old Washington habits. The Starbase appearance cut the other way. It showed a president-elect sharing the stage with a billionaire donor whose company does business with the federal government, all while a giant rocket test unfolded behind them.

The booster missed its planned catch, but the broader point landed: Musk was not just watching from the sidelines. He was hosting, funding, and welcoming the incoming president into one of the most visible spaces in his business empire.