This is an adapted excerpt from the Jan. 29 episode of “All In With Chris Hayes,” guest hosted by Ali Velshi.
Earlier this month, the Harvard-Smithsonian Center for Astrophysics identified what appeared to be a previously undiscovered asteroid orbiting precariously near the Earth. The next day, the center issued a correction: It wasn’t an asteroid after all but rather some kind of “artificial object.”
It was a car, a Tesla — specifically, the Tesla Roadster that Elon Musk launched into orbit as a publicity stunt back in 2018. Seven years later, it’s still up there, floating forever in the vast emptiness of space.
52% of Americans have an unfavorable view of Musk, according to a new survey.
Here on Earth, Musk may envy that type of solitude. His time in the public eye as Donald Trump’s quasi-co-president has not made him very popular.
Back in April of 2022, a YouGov poll found that about half the country had a favorable view of the billionaire. Today, those numbers have flipped. Now, 52% of Americans have an unfavorable view of Musk, according to a new survey from AP-NORC.
That same poll found that 60% of Americans think the president relying on the advice of billionaires is a bad thing. Only 12% like it.
But it’s not just the public who is apparently growing weary of Musk. There are reports that he’s overstaying his welcome within Trump’s inner circle, and the president himself has reportedly been complaining the billionaire is “around a lot,” according to New York Times reporter Maggie Haberman.
If you read Trump’s social media posts, it almost sounds like he’s come up with a solution for that: launching Musk into space.
“I have just asked Elon Musk and @SpaceX to ‘go get’ the 2 brave astronauts who have been virtually abandoned in space by the Biden Administration,” Trump wrote on social media. “They have been waiting for many months on @Space Station. Elon will soon be on his way. Hopefully, all will be safe. Good luck Elon!!!”
Maybe Trump just needs a little … space.
Trump appears to be referring to Suni Williams and Butch Wilmore, two NASA astronauts who have been living on the International Space Station for almost eight months after their initial 10-day trip was extended due to technical difficulties.
To be clear, Musk’s company SpaceX is already scheduled to get them back home in March, although it doesn’t seem like Musk was planning to go personally. Maybe Trump just needs a little … space. Good luck, Elon!
Allison Detzel contributed.
