The Co-Dependent Relationship of Joe Biden and Elon Musk

Many in the administration treat the Tesla and SpaceX owner as a “nation-state,” one source told NOTUS.

Elon Musk

Elon Musk personally visited the White House last fall. Patrick Pleul/AP

Two of the most powerful men in the world don’t have many kind words to say about each other. But their fates are inextricably intertwined.

Increasingly, President Joe Biden and Elon Musk are knotted together on everything from sprawling infrastructure projects to global security, both presidency-defining issues for Biden as he nears the end of his first term in office.

As Biden tries to transition the country to electric vehicles, no single company — or person — will be more responsible for building that electric future than Musk. Musk’s SpaceX has a virtual monopoly on rocket launches in the U.S., making it the only company currently ferrying astronauts to and from the International Space Station. And his Starlink satellite internet has been central to the war in Ukraine.