Elon Musk met privately with President Donald Trump at Mar-a-Lago days after a U.S. operation removed Venezuelan leader Nicolás Maduro, as Musk publicly praised the action and announced Starlink support for Venezuela.
By yourNEWS Media Newsroom
Elon Musk, the chief executive of Tesla and SpaceX, shared a private dinner with President Donald Trump at the president’s Mar-a-Lago estate over the weekend, coming shortly after a U.S. military operation resulted in the arrest and removal of Venezuelan leader Nicolás Maduro.
The meeting followed a dramatic U.S. action in Caracas that led to Maduro being taken into custody and transferred to the United States to face federal charges, including narco-terrorism and cocaine trafficking. Maduro and his wife, Cilia Flores, were transported to New York, where they are being held at the Metropolitan Detention Center in Brooklyn.
Musk publicly reacted to the operation in a post on X, calling it a victory beyond U.S. borders and congratulating Trump for what he described as decisive leadership. In a message shared on social media, Musk wrote that the outcome sent a clear signal to authoritarian regimes worldwide, linking to his statement here.
During the Mar-a-Lago dinner, which included senior Trump advisers and technology executives, Trump reportedly praised Musk’s support, particularly Musk’s announcement that Starlink would provide temporary free broadband internet access to Venezuela. Musk confirmed that initiative in another post expressing solidarity with Venezuelans and directing readers to details here.
Images from the evening later surfaced online, including a photo Musk shared showing himself dining with the president and first lady at Mar-a-Lago, which he posted here. Another post circulating on X described the dinner and claimed Starlink deployment followed shortly afterward, shared by a pro-Trump commentator here.
The renewed public rapport between Musk and Trump comes after a period of visible tension. Musk was a major supporter of Trump’s 2024 campaign and later was appointed to co-lead the Department of Government Efficiency, a role focused on reducing federal spending and bureaucracy. That relationship strained in mid-2025 when Musk criticized Trump’s legislative agenda for increasing the national debt. Trump responded by expressing disappointment, while Musk escalated the dispute through posts on X before later deleting them and issuing a public apology.
Despite that rift, the two appeared together publicly later in the year, sitting side by side during a memorial service hosted by conservative activist Charlie Kirk. Commentator Benny Johnson later recounted Musk urging unity among allies and describing his pride in standing with the president during the event.
The Mar-a-Lago dinner and Musk’s subsequent statements signaled a visible thaw in relations, coinciding with a high-profile foreign policy development that both men publicly framed as a turning point for Venezuela and a broader message to the world.
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