White House Starlink gift followed by nearly $1.2 million in Pentagon awards to SpaceX

Last year, when Starlink, the satellite internet provider operated by Elon Musk’s SpaceX, appeared at the White House, officials said the company had donated the service.

But contracting records reveal that the Trump administration has been spending taxpayers’ dollars since last year to install and service Starlink equipment at the White House. In four contract awards from March 2025 to June this year, the government has agreed to pay nearly $1.2 million to SpaceX for services provided to the White House Communications Agency, a military unit that sets up secure communications for the president, vice president and other officials.