Like Frankenstein on steroids. Musk and Trump both created monsters
Their venomous digital smackdown fulgurated on their duelling social media companies, flashing across the Washington sky.
In March, Trump showed off Teslas in the White House driveway and bought a more than $US80,000 red Model S. Now, he says he's going to sell it.
Thursday was the most titillating day in the US since the sci-fi classic The Day the Earth Stood Still, when a spaceship landed an alien to warn human leaders to stop squabbling like children, or the aliens would destroy Earth.
On Friday, Trump tried to convey serenity. 'I'm not thinking about Elon Musk,' Trump said aboard Air Force One. 'I wish him well.' But Trump then jumped on the phone to knock Musk, telling ABC's Jonathan Karl that Musk has 'lost his mind' and CNN's Dana Bash that 'the poor guy's got a problem'. Trump had to know that would be seen as a reference to the intense drug use by Musk, chronicled by The New York Times.
As Raheem Kassam, one of the owners of Butterworth's, the new Trumpworld boite on Capitol Hill, assured Politico, 'MAGA will not sell out to ketamine'.
The Washington Post reported on Friday: 'Across the government, the Trump administration is scrambling to rehire many federal employees dismissed under DOGE's staff-slashing initiatives after wiping out entire offices, in some cases imperilling key services such as weather forecasting and the drug approval process.'
On Truth Social on Thursday, Trump threatened to take away government contracts that have handsomely enriched Musk even though, as Leon Panetta pointed out on CNN, 'some of those contracts, particularly on SpaceX, are very important to our national security.'
Musk tried to tie Trump to Jeffrey Epstein, offering no evidence. He shared a post on Epstein that said Trump should be impeached. Trump reposted a message from Epstein's last lawyer, saying the smear was 'definitively' not true.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Sky News AU
6 hours ago
- Sky News AU
Boston mayor ‘lives under a rock' for disagreeing with Trump's order to deport ‘illegal aliens'
Political advisor and commentator CJ Pearson says Boston Mayor Michelle Wu is 'living under a rock' by refusing to work with ICE. 'The American people did give President Trump a mandate to secure our southern border and to make America safe again, that's exactly what he's doing,' Mr Pearson told Sky News host Rita Panahi. 'If the mayor of Boston has a problem with that, well, she should take it up with the 80-plus million Americans who voted for President Trump.'
Herald Sun
7 hours ago
- Herald Sun
US deploys warships near Venezuela to fight drug cartels
Don't miss out on the headlines from World. Followed categories will be added to My News. The US is reportedly deploying three missile destroyers and thousands of Marines to waters off Venezuela as President Donald Trump continues his crackdown on drug cartels. Aegis guided-missile destroyers USS Gravely, USS Jason Dunham and USS Sampson will soon be moved to the area, unnamed sources briefed on the matter told Reuters and NBC. About 4000 Marines and soldiers, several P-8 spy planes, warships and at least one attack submarine would also be deployed as part of the operation, the source told Reuters. Guided-missile destroyer USS Sampson. Picture: EPA/ US navy/ Robert Winn The move comes as the Trump administration is ramping up its efforts to stop the flow of fentanyl and other illicit drugs into the country. In February, it designated Venezuelan criminal group Tren de Aragua and other Latin American gangs as 'foreign terrorist organisations'. US Secretary of State Marco Rubio said the administration could use the designations to target cartels earlier this month. 'It allows us to now target what they're operating and to use other elements of American power, intelligence agencies, the Department of Defense, whatever … to target these groups if we have an opportunity to do it,' he said. 'We have to start treating them as armed terrorist organisations, not simply drug dealing organisations. USS Gravely destroyer. Picture: AP Photo/Bernat Armangue When asked about the deployment of the three warships and the possibility of boots on the ground on Tuesday, White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt said Mr Trump is prepared to use the full extent of US power to combat the flow of illicit drugs into the nation. 'With respect to Venezuela, President Trump has been very clear and consistent — he's prepared to use every element of American power to stop drugs from flooding into our country and to bring those responsible to justice,' she said. Ms Leavitt said the regime of Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro is 'not the legitimate government of Venezuela' but rather a 'narco-terror cartel'. 'Maduro, it is the view of this administration, is not a legitimate president. He is a fugitive head of this cartel who has been indicted in the United States.' Mr Maduro, whose past two election victories have not been recognised by the US, was indicted in a US federal court in 2020 on charges of narco-terrorism and conspiracy to import cocaine. Mr Maduro faces up to life in prison if he can be tried and is convicted. At the time of the indictment, he slammed what he called 'spurious, false' accusations. Karoline Leavitt said Ms Maduro's regime is a 'narco-terror cartel'. Picture: AP /Evan Vucci US offers $50m for information leading to Maduro's arrest Ms Leavitt earlier this month announced the US is doubling its reward for information leading to the arrest of Mr Maduro to $50 million and vowed he will be 'held accountable for his despicable crimes'. The Justice Department has accused Mr Maduro of leading a cocaine trafficking gang called 'The Cartel of the Suns' which shipped hundreds of tons of narcotics into the US over two decades, earning hundreds of millions of dollars. Investigators say the cartel worked hand-in-hand with the rebel Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia (FARC), which the US has labelled a terrorist organisation. The Trump administration announced sanctions against the group and Mr Maduro's administration last month. Donald Trump is 'prepared to use every element of American power to stop drugs from flooding' into the US, said Ms Leavitt. Picture: Mandel Ngan / AFP Mr Maduro said this week he would deploy 4.5 million militia members in response to US 'threats'. Picture: Federico Parra / AFP 'To date, the DEA (US Drug Enforcement Administration) has seized 30 tons of cocaine linked to Maduro and his associates, with nearly seven tons linked to Maduro himself.' She added the US government has seized more than $700 million in Maduro-linked assets, including two Venezuelan government aircraft since September last year. Yet Maduro's Reign of Terror continues,' she said. 'Under President Trump's leadership, Maduro will not escape justice and he will be held accountable for his despicable crimes.' Maduro mobilising millions of militia after US 'threats' Mr Maduro said this week he would deploy 4.5 million militia members in response to US 'threats,' after Washington raised the bounty for his arrest and launched anti-drug operations in the Caribbean. In an address on state media on Monday, Mr Maduro said he would this week 'activate a special plan with more than 4.5 million militiamen to ensure coverage of the entire national territory – militias that are prepared, activated and armed'. Mr Maduro said he would deploy 4.5 million militia members in response to US 'threats'. Picture: Juan Barreto / AFP Mr Maduro lambasted 'the renewal of extravagant, bizarre, and outlandish threats' from the US. Although he did not mention the recent US actions specifically, Mr Maduro thanked those who expressed their support in the face of what he called 'rotten refrain' of threats and called on his government's political base to move forward with the formation of peasant and worker militias 'in all industries.' 'Rifles and missiles for the peasant force! To defend the territory, sovereignty, and peace of Venezuela,' he declared. Official figures say the Venezuelan militia, founded by Mr Maduro's predecessor Hugo Chavez, contains about 5 million people, however, the actual number is believed to be smaller. Venezuela's total population is around 30 million. – With AFP Originally published as US deploys warships and 4000 Marines to fight drug cartels
Sky News AU
8 hours ago
- Sky News AU
Nobody should ‘underestimate' Melania's influence on Trump's decision-making
Former White House Press secretary Sean Spicer discusses the 'power' the First Lady has on President Trump's thinking. This comes as US President Donald Trump hand-delivered to Russian leader Vladimir Putin a private letter from his wife, Melania Trump, about the plight of children in Ukraine and Russia during their peace summit in Alaska. 'No-one should underestimate the power that she has on his decision-making,' Mr Spicer told Sky News host Andrew Bolt. 'President Trump's display of that letter should speak volumes to what he was trying to convey to Vladimir Putin.'
