--- title: "Confused Trump Says Elon Musk Is “as Good as You Get” in “Terms of Computer”" description: "During a characteristically rambling speech, Donald Trump said that \"in terms of computer,\" Elon Musk is \"as good as you get.\"" date: "2024-11-01" modified: "2024-11-01" authors: - name: "Victor Tangermann" job_title: "Senior Editor" link: "https://futurism.com/authors/victor" url: "https://futurism.com/the-byte/trump-elon-musk-good-computer" categories: - "Elon Musk" - "Future Society" - "The Industrialists" tags: - "donald trump" - "elon musk" - "the digest" --- # Confused Trump Says Elon Musk Is “as Good as You Get” in “Terms of Computer” ![During a characteristically rambling speech, Donald Trump said that "in terms of computer," Elon Musk is "as good as you get."]() *\Image: Chip Somodevilla/Getty Images\* ## Computer Man Former president Donald Trump and multi-hyphenate billionaire Elon Musk have really hit their honeymoon phase. Less than a week ahead of the presidential elections, Trump [took the stage]() at an event in Henderson, Nevada, to subject audiences to characteristically rambling stream of consciousness remarks. During his meandering speech, Trump fawned over his newfound supporter Musk. "In terms of computer, I would say he’s probably about as good as you get," he said of the entrepreneur, a hilariously nonsensical utterance that highlights the astounding extent of Trump's technological illiteracy. The former reality TV host has long garnered a reputation for being a luddite, reportedly [eschewing the use of a computer and even an email address](). Worse yet, Trump also appears to be vastly overestimating Musk's abilities when it comes to "computer"; in spite of his marketing acumen, [signs indicate]() that the entrepreneur's programming skills are rusty at best. https://twitter.com/atrupar/status/1852140092489347174 ## Back to the Stone Age As always, making any sense of Trump's vacuous rambling is a fool's errand. He does, however, appear to understand that Musk is in charge of SpaceX, and has experience with rockets and cryptocurrency. Despite a rocky start, the relationship between the two has grown into a deep bond. Musk has [fully committed himself](), as well as [well over $100 million](), to getting Trump reelected. Trump has also vowed to [put Musk in charge]() of a "government efficiency commission," a thinly veiled attempt to deconstruct US governmental institutions from the inside out. But Trump's nonsense of Musk being "good" at "computer" shows just how little the two men really have in common — beyond insatiable greed. **More on Trump:** *[Elon Musk's "Political Acivists" Aren't What They Seem]()* ## Author I've been at Futurism since 2017, where my role has evolved to encompass design, writing, and increasingly editing. I've always been fascinated by space exploration and advanced transportation, which I've leaned into by interviewing luminaries in those fields while closely following the dimensions of policy and regulation that allow next-generation projects to succeed -- or, sometimes, to fail. I'm also keenly interested in the effects of generative AI on society, policies, and democratic institutions, as well as clean energy, physics and biology, and the vagaries of tech leadership. My work for Futurism has been cited by publications including Ars Technica, Gizmodo, PC Magazine, Jalopnik, Fox News, and the New York Post. I spent my childhood living in locations including Manila, the Philippines, and Geneva, Switzerland, attended McGill University, and now live in Toronto, Canada. Before Futurism I worked at AskMen and a small photography studio. In my free time, I'm an avid gardener, foodie, and craft beer lover, as well as a maker of artisanal hot pepper sauces. I have a magnificent dog named Freida. ### Author social links [Bluesky]()