JD Vance Reacts to Trump and Musk's Public Meltdown
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Vice President JD Vance cracked a joke on social media Thursday about billionaire Elon Musk's bitter feud with President Donald Trump.
The Context
The war of words between Trump and Musk has intensified GOP fissures at a critical legislative moment, with the fate of the Trump-backed "One Big Beautiful Bill Act" still uncertain as it wends its way through Congress.
Musk has repeatedly criticized the bill, calling it "outrageous" and "pork-filled" this week, adding that it's a "disgusting abomination."
Trump initially avoided directly addressing Musk but waded into the battle on Thursday, calling his one-time close ally "crazy" and suggesting he has "Trump derangement syndrome."
Tesla and SpaceX CEO Elon Musk, from left, President Donald Trump and Vice President JD Vance attend a campaign event at the Butler Farm Show on October 5, 2024, in Butler, Pennsylvania.
Tesla and SpaceX CEO Elon Musk, from left, President Donald Trump and Vice President JD Vance attend a campaign event at the Butler Farm Show on October 5, 2024, in Butler, Pennsylvania.
Alex Brandon/AP
What To Know
Vance, who was among Musk's staunchest defenders after Trump took office in January, weighed in on the president's falling out with Musk on X, formerly Twitter, on Thursday evening.
The vice president posted a photo of himself sitting next to podcaster Theo Von and wrote: "Slow news day, what are we even going to talk about? @TheoVon." Musk replied to Vance with a laughing emoji.
The SpaceX CEO's once-cozy relationship with the president has rapidly disintegrated since the "One Big Beautiful Bill Act" passed the GOP-controlled House of Representatives by a single vote last month.
After Musk lambasted the Trump-backed spending package as "outrageous" and suggested that Republicans who voted for it should be ashamed, Trump hit back on Truth Social.
"Elon was 'wearing thin,' I asked him to leave, I took away his EV Mandate that forced everyone to buy Electric Cars that nobody else wanted (that he knew for months I was going to do!), and he just went CRAZY!" the president wrote on Thursday afternoon.
"The easiest way to save money in our Budget, Billions and Billions of Dollars, is to terminate Elon's Governmental Subsidies and Contracts. I was always surprised that Biden didn't do it!" he added.
"Such an obvious lie," Musk responded on X. "So sad."
Former White House chief strategist Steve Bannon chimed in, suggesting that Musk's immigration status should be investigated.
"They should initiate a formal investigation of his immigration status because I am of the strong belief that he is an illegal alien and he should be deported from the country immediately," Bannon, a longtime Musk critic, told The New York Times.
This story is developing and will be updated as more information becomes available.
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