Elon Musk cheered after newly sworn-in President Donald Trump mentioned Mars in his inauguration speech on Monday. “We will pursue our manifest destiny into the stars,” Trump said, “by launching American astronauts to plant the stars and stripes on the planet Mars.

The world saw Donald Trump take the oath of office for his second non-consecutive term as President of the United States on Monday. The ceremony, held in the Rotunda of the U.S. Capitol, drew an eclectic crowd of tech moguls, foreign diplomats, and business leaders.

Elon Musk could hardly contain his excitement when Donald Trump mentioned Mars in his inauguration speech. The new president proclaimed that his administration will be the first go to Mars, and place the US flag on the red planet.

The presidential inauguration was a veritable billionaire's convention with Google CEO Sundar Pichai and Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg in attendance, but Musk clearly has a bigger role.

Billionaire and SpaceX owner Elon Musk was front and center during Donald Trump's inauguration after donating around $200m to get him elected as outgoing President Joe Biden warns of an oligarchy forming.