Trump discusses Starlink deployment for hurricane-affected areas as white house confirms systems in transit

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Former President Donald Trump announced on Monday that he had spoken to Elon Musk about deploying Starlink satellite Internet service to regions in North Carolina affected by Hurricane Helene. Trump stated that he had asked Musk to provide communication support to the area, which has been left without connectivity due to the hurricane.

"I just spoke to Elon," Trump said. "We want to get Starlink hooked up because they have no communication whatsoever, and Elon will always come through."

In response to Trump's comments, the White House confirmed via social media that the initiative was already underway, stating, "This is already happening." The post linked to a Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) press release that confirmed over 100 Starlink systems were already en route to the region before Trump’s announcement.

Hurricane Helene has claimed the lives of more than 100 people across six states, cutting off communications and road access in parts of western North Carolina. Starlink, a division of Musk’s SpaceX company, operates a large network of satellites and is currently the only high-bandwidth Internet system that provides global coverage.

Trump also visited Valdosta, Georgia, where he surveyed damage to a local furniture store impacted by the storm.