What will happen to Starlink's global internet if Musk quarrels with Trump

Trump calls Musk "obsessed" and ignores him, while the billionaire himself has threatened impeachment and gone into open opposition.

It all started when Musk was first pushed out of running government agencies, including the Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE), and later he was angry that his ally Jared Isaacman was not appointed to head NASA. Add to that his dissatisfaction with Trump's tax policies, and Musk ended up becoming one of the loudest critics of an administration he had recently actively supported.

Starlink, a company owned by Ilon Musk, now operates in 130 countries and plays a key role in spreading American technology around the world. However, according to experts, the growing conflict between Musk and Donald Trump could turn Starlink from a global activator of US influence - into a political vulnerability, Politico writes.

As The Washington Post reported, the case of Lesotho, a small African nation, shows how closely intertwined satellite technology and American foreign policy are. Lesotho sought to avoid the 50% tariffs imposed under Trump and granted a licence to Starlink in April this year. According to an internal State Department memo, the move was seen as a demonstration of goodwill and willingness to co-operate with US businesses.

Although the State Department did not directly confirm this information, the publication writes, its comment speaks volumes: "Any US patriot should want American companies to succeed on the world stage - especially against Chinese competitors."

Nevertheless, linking technology licensing to trade negotiations is extremely rare. Blair Levin, a former adviser to the U.S. Federal Communications Commission, noted, "Embassies often promote the interests of U.S. businesses. But to tie that to tariffs is very unusual."

Satellite policy expert Ruth Pritchard-Kelly adds: "I have never seen a country literally beg the US not to impose tariffs, arguing that they have even granted a licence to Starlink."

Pritchard-Kelly believes Starlink could be under attack. For countries like Lesotho, choosing a US satellite system run by a man disgraced by Trump could be a politically risky decision.

While the conflict between Musk and Trump has mostly unfolded on social media, no official action - like breaking SpaceX's contracts with the government - has been taken. However, Trump has more effective leverage, analysts warn.

For example, he could initiate a revocation of Starlink's licence to operate in space. "That hasn't happened yet, but if Trump really wants to scare Musk, he could threaten to do that," Pritchard-Kelly believes.

The former top Starlink executive adds that the government can create hidden obstacles for Musk's business, from delaying approvals to ignoring his comments on public policy.

"When a company loses its favoured status, it just starts to be obstructed - subtly but systematically."

Experts believe Musk may retreat into his political project. Trump will start going after him, and, accordingly, there will be a denial of government subsidies for Musk's space company.

"Musk will withdraw from NASA projects. Next there will be harassment of his companies, Trump will sic prosecutors on him. Musk will initiate congressional and Senate investigations. Democrats may pick up on the paedophile scandal. All of this will become a significant problem for American power. That's why now Trump and Musk many want to reconcile, at least to have a truce between them," predicted Vitaly Kulik, director of the Centre for Research on Civil Society Problems.

The conflict between Trump and Musk in the long term may threaten a political crisis in America, so Trump and Musk will try to reconcile.

"How this conflict between Trump and Musk will develop further, whether they will try to extinguish it - this will be decided in a few days. If they don't reconcile in the next few days, this could turn into a political crisis," Kulik said.

Musk is already threatening to shift his resources to support Democrats, which turns him from an ally - to a threat to Trump. This is bad news for the Kremlin: it is losing one of its channels of influence over the US administration.

Trump is unlikely to change his attitude toward Ukraine, but Musk's loss will make it more difficult for the Kremlin to impose a favourable agenda.