Former President Trump said he had discussions with SpaceX CEO Elon Musk about deploying Starlink after Hurricane Helene.

Trump said Monday that he “only talked to Elon” because he “wanted to hook up Starlink because they have no communication at all,” referring to people in some places hit and hard hit by the powerful hurricane.

He also reiterated that he had spoken to Musk about North Carolina getting satellite-based internet service in comments he made Tuesday.

Former President Trump looks on during a rally at the Nassau Veterans Memorial Coliseum in Uniondale, NY on Wednesday, September 18. (Reuters/Brendan McDermid / Reuters)

White House spokesman Andrew Bates posted on X Monday afternoon that “this has already happened,” along with a press release from FEMA.

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As of Monday, 40 Starlink satellite systems were available in North Carolina “to assist with emergency responder communications” and 140 more were dedicated to “restoring communications infrastructure,” this release said. Each county EOC should also receive one.

FOX Business has reached out to a Trump spokesperson for comment.

According to another FEMA press release, the number of Starlink satellite systems in North Carolina used to communicate with emergency responders increased to 60 on Tuesday.

CHICAGO, ILLINOIS – SEPTEMBER 13: In this illustration, a Starlink system is seen on September 13, 2024 in Chicago, Illinois. United Airlines announced today that it has reached an agreement with Starlink and will soon offer free internet (Photo illustration by Scott Olson/Getty Images / Getty Images)

A FEMA spokesperson told FOX Business that the agency ordered Starlink terminals over the weekend for its response to Hurricane Helene and that it had nothing to do with the former president.

“Since the Hurricane Helene disaster, SpaceX has sent as many Starlink terminals as possible to help areas in need,” Musk said in an X post early Tuesday morning. “Today @realDonaldTrump alerted me to more people who need Starlink internet in North Carolina. We will send them terminals immediately.”

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Later in the day, the billionaire tech CEO said his company was sending “as many terminals as possible” to parts of the country affected by Hurricane Helene.

According to a Tuesday post from Starlink, more than 500 of SpaceX’s satellite-based internet service kits “have arrived or will soon arrive in parts of the country affected by Hurricane Helene” to be deployed to “individuals and organizations.”

ASHEVILLE, NORTH CAROLINA – SEPTEMBER 28: Storm damage near Biltmore Village following Hurricane Helene on September 28, 2024 in Asheville, North Carolina. Hurricane Helene made landfall in Big Bend, Florida on Thursday evening with strong winds (Photo by Sean Rayford/Getty Images / Getty Images)

“We are conducting a system update so that all Starlinks in the affected areas can function regardless of payment,” Musk also said Tuesday about the Starlink effort. “Software update hopefully completed this evening. Tomorrow at the latest.”

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SpaceX has made Starlink available several times in the past to help in emergency situations, including hurricane recovery.

Other cases where the company has provided Starlink access include Tonga after a volcanic eruption and tsunami in 2022, in Iran during protests in 2022, and in Maui last year after deadly wildfires.

The satellite-based internet service is used in over 100 different countries.