White House Says No Conflict After Trump Bought SpaceX Debt Before Space Order

The White House said on Friday that President Trump did nothing wrong when his financial accounts bought more than $1 million in SpaceX bonds just two days before he signed an executive order about space travel. The purchase was listed in Trump's financial records for August, which were made public on Thursday. The White House said the investments are handled by outside managers, not by Trump himself.

According to the financial records, Trump's accounts bought between $1 million and $5 million in bonds from Space Exploration Technologies Corp., which is better known as SpaceX. SpaceX is owned by tech billionaire Elon Musk. The bonds are called 'senior unsecured notes,' which is a type of loan that investors make to a company.

Two days after the purchase, on August 20, Trump signed a presidential memo about space transportation. The memo said the United States wants to lead the world in space travel. It also set a goal of allowing more than 1,000 rocket launches and landings on American soil each year by 2030.

White House spokesperson Davis Ingle responded to questions about the timing of the purchase. He said Trump's investments are managed by outside financial companies, not by Trump or his family. He said, 'There are no conflicts of interest,' meaning Trump did not use his power as president to benefit from his own investments.

Still, questions remain about who exactly decided to buy the SpaceX bonds. It is not clear which company or manager made that specific choice. This situation has added to concerns people have raised about the link between Trump's business interests and his decisions as president.

Trump has faced criticism in both of his terms in office for mixing his family's businesses with his duties as president. His investments are held in a trust run by his children, not a fully independent 'blind trust.' Critics say a true blind trust would mean Trump has no way of knowing what he owns while he is in office.

Trump's August financial records listed more than 500 buying and selling transactions. One of the biggest was a purchase of Meta Platforms stock, the company that owns Facebook and Instagram, worth between $5 million and $25 million. A review by CNBC estimated the total value of all transactions listed could be between $74.3 million and $273.3 million.

Elon Musk and SpaceX are very powerful in the space industry. SpaceX has reportedly launched more satellites into orbit than every other country and company in the world combined. This week, Trump honored Musk and other tech leaders with the National Medal of Science at a White House event called 'Science: A New Golden Age.'

Musk was Trump's biggest individual campaign donor during the 2024 presidential race and briefly worked as a government advisor at the start of Trump's second term. Last year, the two men had a very public falling-out. However, they have since made up and have been seen together at several events in 2025.