'Modern-day Thomas Edison': Trump awards Elon Musk top US science medal
Source: Euronews ↗ (cross-verified by 2 outlets — full list below)
President Donald Trump presented the National Medal of Science to SpaceX chief Elon Musk on Thursday at the Institute of Peace in Washington, D.C., joining a select group that included Google co‑founder Sergey Brin, Nvidia CEO Jensen Huang and AMD head Lisa Su. In his opening remarks, Trump lauded the “golden age of America” in science and technology before singling out Musk as a “modern‑day Thomas Edison,” praising his “genius and determination” for turning science‑fiction concepts into reality and emphasizing Musk’s contributions to the nation’s interests across multiple fields.
The award comes after a turbulent partnership between the two men. Musk had supported Trump’s 2024 campaign and later headed the White House’s Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE), driving cost‑cutting reforms after Trump’s return to office in January 2025. Their alliance soured when Musk publicly criticized the administration’s “One Big Beautiful Bill” spending package, sparking a bitter feud. Despite the discord, Musk re‑entered the Trump orbit recently, being appointed co‑director of the Defense Department’s “Project Meridian,” a study aimed at forecasting future warfare needs and recommending new weapons and technologies for development, testing and deployment.
According to a White House press release, Musk received the medal for “engineering achievements of extraordinary ambition and scale” that have expanded the frontiers of space exploration, intelligent systems, communications and beyond, thereby renewing American technological leadership and ushering in a new era of U.S. manufacturing. The recognition underscores the administration’s focus on high‑profile innovators to bolster national security and economic competitiveness, while also highlighting Musk’s renewed influence within the government despite previous conflicts.
⚡ Effects Interpreter
🌍World Economymedium impact
What this means for you
- ▶A story like this rarely stays local for long in a connected economy.
- ▶Foreign direct investment decisions can hinge on how this plays out.
🏙️Local Economylow impact
What this means for you
- ▶Small firms on your street might pass costs on carefully, bit by bit.
- ▶Family budgets close to home might absorb a slight, slow-moving effect.
🏦Rates & Banksmedium impact
What this means for you
- ▶Lenders often reserve big rate moves for clearer economic signals.
- ▶Financial markets sometimes overreact to rate speculation before banks even respond.
❤️Healthmedium impact
What this means for you
- ▶Taking a break from the headlines can do more good than scrolling on.
- ▶A story like this can linger in the back of people's minds for a while.
💷Wealthmedium impact
What this means for you
- ▶Money set aside for the future can afford to sit tight through this.
- ▶Savers with a clear plan tend to feel less rattled by a story like this.
🏠Housinglow impact
What this means for you
- ▶Buyers and renters could notice only a gentle drift, if anything at all.
- ▶Anyone selling soon might want a fresh valuation once the dust settles.
🌍 Effects for your country
The U.S.'s central bank rate currently stands at 3.75%, so a global rates move like this could feed through to local borrowing costs. The U.S.'s economy is growing at 2.3% with inflation at 3.2%, the backdrop this story's effects play out against locally. Housing-market effects like this are usually felt most where mortgage rates track the U.S.'s own central bank rate closely. With the U.S.'s unemployment at 4.4%, personal-finance effects like this land on a labour market that is currently fairly stable. Health-system effects are harder to localise from economic indicators alone — the real impact in the U.S. depends more on local healthcare capacity than the figures above.
The UK's central bank rate currently stands at 3.75%, so a global rates move like this could feed through to local borrowing costs. The UK's economy is growing at 0.8% with inflation at 3.2%, the backdrop this story's effects play out against locally. Housing-market effects like this are usually felt most where mortgage rates track the UK's own central bank rate closely. With the UK's unemployment at 5.6%, personal-finance effects like this land on a labour market that is currently fairly stable. Health-system effects are harder to localise from economic indicators alone — the real impact in the UK depends more on local healthcare capacity than the figures above.
France's central bank rate currently stands at 2%, so a global rates move like this could feed through to local borrowing costs. France's economy is growing at 0.9% with inflation at 1.8%, the backdrop this story's effects play out against locally. Housing-market effects like this are usually felt most where mortgage rates track France's own central bank rate closely. With France's unemployment at 7.9%, personal-finance effects like this land on a labour market that is already under strain. Health-system effects are harder to localise from economic indicators alone — the real impact in France depends more on local healthcare capacity than the figures above.
Romania's central bank rate currently stands at 6.5%, so a global rates move like this could feed through to local borrowing costs. Romania's economy is growing at 0.7% with inflation at 7.8%, the backdrop this story's effects play out against locally. Housing-market effects like this are usually felt most where mortgage rates track Romania's own central bank rate closely. With Romania's unemployment at 6%, personal-finance effects like this land on a labour market that is currently fairly stable. Health-system effects are harder to localise from economic indicators alone — the real impact in Romania depends more on local healthcare capacity than the figures above.
The UAE's central bank rate currently stands at 3.65%, so a global rates move like this could feed through to local borrowing costs. The UAE's economy is growing at 3.1% with inflation at 2.5%, the backdrop this story's effects play out against locally. Housing-market effects like this are usually felt most where mortgage rates track the UAE's own central bank rate closely. Health-system effects are harder to localise from economic indicators alone — the real impact in the UAE depends more on local healthcare capacity than the figures above.