Trump said he talked with Elon Musk to deploy Starlink after Hurricane Helene — but FEMA had the partnership in place since Sunday

While speaking in Valdosta, GA, Trump said he was coordinating with Musk to ship Starlink to affected areas.

Evan Vucci

Trump said he called Elon Musk to discuss sending Starlink satellites to areas affected by Helene.FEMA had already coordinated with Starlink to send satellites to North Carolina.The timing and nature of Trump’s stated call with Musk remains unclear.

Former President Donald Trump said that he had talked to Elon Musk, CEO of SpaceX and a recent political ally, about sending Starlink satellites to areas impacted by Hurricane Helene.

But the federal government had already decided Sunday to send the satellites to areas in need of internet access.

At an event in Valdosta, Georgia, Trump said some residents in North Carolina “don’t have communication” before mentioning his chat with Musk and Starlink, SpaceX’s satellite internet service.

“I just spoke to Elon. I’m getting him — we want to get Starlink hooked up because they have no communication whatsoever. And Elon will always come through. We know that,” Trump said Monday. “And so we’re working on that, getting them hooked up. They asked me whether or not that would be possible. We’re gonna try and get the Starlink in there as soon as possible.”

The White House, however, quickly pointed out that a Starlink partnership was already underway.

In a post on X, which Musk owns, White House Spokesperson Andrew Bates said, “This is already happening.”

He linked to a statement from FEMA, which says 40 Starlink satellite systems are deployed in North Carolina to assist with “responder communications.” According to the statement, 140 satellites are being sent to help repair communication infrastructure. The statement was published Monday, the same day Trump made his speech.

FEMA told Business Insider that the federal government made the decision to send satellites Sunday.

“Administrator Criswell made the decision yesterday to send Starlink down to North Carolina,” Jaclyn Rothenberg, the director of public affairs, said on the phone, referring to FEMA administrator Deanne Criswell.

Rothenberg told BI Trump was not involved in the decision-making process.

As of Monday afternoon, the nature and timing of Trump’s stated call with Musk remained unclear. When BI asked the former president’s campaign for clarification, spokesperson Steven Cheung replied, “Where’s Kamala?

SpaceX did not immediately respond to a request for comment from BI.

At least 119 people have died as a result of the storm. Relief efforts continue as survivors begin to come to terms with the scope of devastation.