Washington DC [US], October 9 : US President Donald Trump on Thursday (local time) honoured Tesla and SpaceX CEO Elon Musk with the National Medal of Science at the White House's "Science: A New Golden Age Summit", praising him as a "national treasure" and "modern-day Thomas Edison" for his contributions to space exploration, technology and innovation.

Trump, before presenting the award, described Musk as “an industrial titan, a brilliant engineer, and one of the greatest technology founders to ever live”.
“Quite honestly, there's nobody like him. Few Americans in history have done more to advance America's national interest than Elon in one field after another. His genius and determination have made science fiction into reality, and that is so true,” Trump said.
The US president highlighted Musk's work through SpaceX, saying the company had helped advance America's space programme and congratulated it on the safe return of Crew-12 from the International Space Station.
“SpaceX saved NASA from relying on foreign nations to send our astronauts into space, and I want to congratulate SpaceX on the safe return of Crew-12 from the International Space Station just a few hours ago,” Trump said.
"We're proud of you, very proud of you. A national treasure," he added.
Trump also praised SpaceX's development of Starship and Starlink, recalling an incident in North Carolina in which he said Starlink helped provide communications during a hurricane and contributed to saving hundreds of lives.
“I called up Elon, and it was like impossible to get this equipment, and he had it there in a matter of hours, and saved hundreds of lives. Saved hundreds of lives in North Carolina,” Trump said.
“So thank you, Elon, for that very special moment,” he added.
Trump also highlighted Musk's role in creating Tesla, calling it “the first successful new car manufacturer in over 75 years” and crediting the company with producing commercially viable electric cars and consumer self-driving technology.
He then recalled the work of his uncle, Dr John Trump, who was commissioned by the US government to assess the work of inventor Nikola Tesla.
“My uncle, after a fairly short period of time, determined that he was a true and great genius, and that he was real in every single way,” Trump said.
Trump also referred to Musk's work through Neuralink and superintelligence, saying he was “restoring sight, speech, and motion” to people who could not see, talk, or move.
"He turned SpaceX AI into one of the world's leaders in superintelligence. Elon is our modern-day Thomas Edison. And Elon, I want to congratulate you. You're my friend and all of that, but you are a very, very special guy. Thank you very much, and congratulations, Elon. Great, great job," he added.
Michael Kratsios, Director of the White House Office of Science and Technology Policy (OSTP), said Musk received the National Medal of Science for “engineering achievements of extraordinary ambition and scale that have pushed the frontiers of space exploration, intelligent systems, communications, and beyond, renewing American technological leadership and opening a new chapter in American manufacturing.”
Musk's award also comes after his relationship with Trump underwent a public rupture last year following Musk's departure from the Department of Government Efficiency. Musk had criticised Trump's tax-and-spending legislation, while Trump had threatened to review Musk's government contracts.
The two have since renewed ties. Musk recently appeared alongside Trump at a lunch with technology leaders and was also present during Chinese President Xi Jinping’s visit. The Tesla and SpaceX CEO has also returned to an advisory role in the administration, co-leading the Pentagon’s Project Meridian, which studies the future of warfare and the weapons and technologies needed to maintain US military technological superiority.
The National Medal of Science was also awarded to Google co-founder Sergey Brin, Nvidia CEO Jensen Huang, and AMD CEO Lisa Su. Dell Technologies CEO Michael Dell and Microsoft CEO Satya Nadella were awarded the National Medal of Technology and Innovation.
The ceremony marked Trump's first time presenting the National Medal of Science and the National Medal of Technology and Innovation during either of his presidential administrations.
The awards were presented as part of the White House's “Science: A New Golden Age Summit”, which brought together leading scientists and technology innovators to discuss scientific breakthroughs, superintelligence and private-sector investment.
The National Medal of Science was established by the US Congress in 1959 and is the nation's highest recognition for scientists and engineers. It recognises outstanding contributions to knowledge in the physical, biological, mathematical, engineering, or social and behavioural sciences in service to the nation.
A committee of distinguished scientists and engineers appointed by the US president evaluates nominees for the award, which is presented by him at a White House ceremony.