The president-elect, 78, listened intently as the Tesla billionaire explained how his rockets work before watching the largest in his fleet take off on the horizon.
Wearing a red MAGA hat and surrounded by Republican Senators Ted Cruz, Bill Haggerty, Kevin Cramer and Rep. Ronny Jackson, he glared at the horizon as the starship shot upwards.
Trump made the visit to Brownsville while still making nominations for senior roles and said 'no' when asked by a reporter if he was reconsidering Matt Gaetz as his pick for Attorney General in the face of lurid allegations and Republican opposition in the Senate.
Musk has been by his side throughout the process of formulating his cabinet, whether at Mar-a-Lago for dinner with Melania or at the UFC fight at Madison Square Garden in New York City.
The entrepreneur and Trump confidante has pumped billions into the Starship rocket system to get it into orbit for the first time.
Just before the launch, Trump announced that TV personality Dr. Mehmet Oz was his pick to lead the Center for Medicare and Medicaid Services.
