Rachel Maddow’s Bold Demand: Cancel Every Federal Contract with Elon Musk!

Just days before Kamala Harris’s 2024 election loss to Donald Trump, MSNBC’s Rachel Maddow urged Harris to cancel all federal contracts with Elon Musk, assuming she would win instead. Maddow argued Musk posed a national security risk, linking his support for Trump with Big Business aligning with Big Government—a move she described as a classic example of fascism, or the fusion of private and public sectors.

“If Trump doesn’t win, the Defense Department and NASA will need a new setup for all their rockets,” Maddow said on her show. “And for every multibillion-dollar contract Musk’s companies hold with the U.S. government.”

Maddow continued, “The U.S. government is going to have to either unwind from all those contracts, or Musk’s companies are going to have to separate from him. This situation is untenable from a national security perspective, considering what we now know about Elon Musk.”

Musk’s companies receive significant federal tax incentives and subsidies
Maddow’s concerns about Musk's government ties have some basis. Musk has become one of the world’s most powerful business figures, with his companies heavily supported by government funding.

Currently, Musk’s companies, SpaceX and Tesla, maintain “extensive links with the U.S. government,” even according to right-leaning, Musk-supporting outlets.

“SpaceX holds major NASA contracts for cargo and crewed missions to the International Space Station,” one report noted. “The company also provides satellite launch services for the Department of Defense, with its Starlink system supporting military communications.”

“Meanwhile, Tesla receives federal tax incentives for electric vehicles and collaborates with the government on energy storage projects. Altogether, these contracts total around $15 billion.”

Whether Maddow’s fears will come to pass under Trump’s administration remains uncertain. Time will tell.

Keith Olbermann echoed Maddow’s stance, calling Musk a national security risk and suggesting he should be arrested and deported, despite Musk being a naturalized U.S. citizen.

In September, former Labor Secretary Robert Reich expressed similar concerns, publishing a column in *The Guardian* urging “global regulators” to act against Musk if he doesn’t follow the left’s agenda over the right.

“Regulators worldwide should threaten Musk with arrest if he continues spreading lies and hate on X,” Reich tweeted.

“Global regulators could be moving in this direction,” Reich argued, pointing to the August 24 arrest of Pavel Durov, founder of Telegram, in France. French authorities cited Telegram’s alleged role in hate crimes and misinformation.

Online, some voiced support for Maddow’s concerns, with one commenter advocating an end to all government and industry revolving-door relationships, including those involving Musk.

“End all cushy revolving-door jobs between the DoD, DHS, CIA, FBI, and legacy media,” one commenter wrote.

“MSNBC needs to be canceled,” another person replied. “All they do is spread lies.”

Another commenter added, “What do you call a rule by a secret society of officials calling itself ‘The National Security State’? It’s the Unconstitutional State of America, not a democracy.”