Former President Donald Trump announced that he had spoken with Elon Musk, the CEO of SpaceX, regarding the deployment of Starlink satellites to assist regions impacted by Hurricane Helene. Trump expressed concern for North Carolina residents who were lacking communication capabilities and indicated that he was coordinating with Musk to facilitate the process.
However, the federal government had already initiated plans to deploy Starlink satellites on Sunday to address internet access issues in affected areas. During an event in Valdosta, Georgia, Trump noted, “I just spoke to Elon. I’m getting him — we want to get Starlink hooked up because they have no communication whatsoever. And Elon will always come through. We know that.” He emphasized that efforts were underway to activate Starlink services as soon as possible.
In response, the White House clarified that a partnership with Starlink was already established. Andrew Bates, a spokesperson for the White House, mentioned on social media that “this is already happening.” He also referenced a FEMA statement indicating that 40 Starlink systems had been deployed in North Carolina to support responder communications, with a further 140 satellites being dispatched to restore communication infrastructure. This statement was released on the same day as Trump’s remarks.
FEMA confirmed to Business Insider that the decision to send the satellites was made on Sunday, with FEMA Administrator Deanne Criswell overseeing the initiative. FEMA’s public affairs director, Jaclyn Rothenberg, also asserted that Trump was not involved in the decision-making process.
As of Monday afternoon, the specifics of Trump’s conversation with Musk remained unclear, and requests for clarification from his campaign went unanswered. There has been no immediate response from SpaceX or Musk’s representatives regarding the situation.
The storm has resulted in at least 119 fatalities, and relief efforts are ongoing as affected residents begin to assess the devastation.