SpaceX CEO Elon Musk took a pot shot at U.S. President Joe Biden in a recent comment on social media following his company's historic private spaceflight over the weekend. Musk commented on a question posted by one of his 60 million followers regarding why the president has yet to remark on his company's achievement.
In the original post, a user asked why the president has refused to acknowledge the SpaceX flight, which sent 4 civilians into space at the cost of hundreds of millions of dollars. Musk replied that the president might still be "sleeping" - a reference to a joke made about the 78-year-old politician.
He’s still sleeping — Elon Musk (@elonmusk) September 19, 2021
Biden's opponents have repeatedly joked about his age. Former President Donald Trump often referred to him as "Sleepy Joe" during his campaign trail. Ahead of his meeting with Russian President Vladimir Putin, Trump jokingly told Biden not to fall asleep during their meeting. 1
The historic Inspiration4 mission launched 4 new American astronauts into space on Saturday. The company's Crew Dragon spacecraft arrived safely back on Earth Tuesday after three days in space. The flight also had many firsts, including being the first flight with a Black Woman as its pilot, having the youngest-ever astronaut, and flying the first person with a prosthesis to space.
Apart from being the first spacecraft with an all civilian crew, the mission had also raised $200 million for St. Jude Children's Research Hospital. When it launched, the mission raised more than $160 million. Musk contributed another $50 million from his own pockets, which pushed the total amount raised to $210 million.
After the successful landing, people from all around the world congratulated Musk and SpaceX for their achievement. Musk's space rivals, including Boeing, Blue Origin, and Lockheed Martin, all sent their congratulations. The White House has yet to issue a statement about the space mission.
SpaceX and Musk generally have a good relationship with the current administration. SpaceX recently won a $2.89 billion contract with NASA to build its next-generation lunar landers. However, SpaceX has recently been the subject of a Department of Justice investigation over reports that it had discriminated against job applicants that were allegedly vetted based on their citizenship status.
