President-elect Trump plans to attend a SpaceX rocket launch in Texas on Tuesday, a person familiar with the plans confirmed. This is the latest sign of Trump's closeness with the company's billionaire CEO Elon Musk.
The launch is scheduled for 5 p.m. ET and will be the sixth test launch of the company's Starship rocket.
new york times first reported Regarding President Trump's plans to attend the launch.
Trump and Musk have developed an increasingly close relationship in recent weeks. Musk, CEO of Tesla and owner of social platform I invested $10,000.
Since Election Day, Mr. Musk has been a near-constant presence at Mr. Trump's side at Mar-a-Lago. He participated in telephone conversations with foreign leaders, attended a meeting with the president-elect in Washington, D.C., and provided input on Cabinet positions.
Musk also publicly weighed in over the weekend over the ongoing fight over who President Trump should choose as Treasury Secretary.
Trump has expressed fondness for Musk, who has also been tapped to co-lead the new Office of Government Efficiency, along with entrepreneur and former Republican presidential candidate Vivek Ramaswami. During campaign rallies, he regularly brought up Mr. Musk and said he witnessed a pair of mechanical arms capture a separated booster rocket during a SpaceX launch.
But some Republicans, including some close to President Trump's transition, have suggested their honeymoon may not last long. They argue that Trump will tire of Musk's intervention in policy decisions and attention, just as he has in the past when officials have outperformed him.
