
A new coalition challenges Suriname's president after a close election
PARAMARIBO, Suriname — Suriname could soon have its first female president after a party led by a medical doctor formed a coalition aimed at ousting the South American country's current leader following a weekend election with no clear winner.
Dr. Jennifer Geerlings-Simons, of the National Democratic Party, formed a coalition with five other parties late Tuesday as workers still tallied votes from Sunday's National Assembly election. The chamber chooses the president by a two-thirds vote.
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News24
an hour ago
- News24
Trump says Musk has 'lost his mind' as feud fallout mounts
US President Donald Trump said Friday that Elon Musk had "lost his mind" but insisted he wanted to move on from the fiery split with his billionaire former ally. The blistering public break-up between the world's richest person and the world's most powerful is fraught with political and economic risks all round. Trump had scrapped the idea of a call with Musk and was even thinking of ditching the red Tesla he bought at the height of their bromance, White House officials told AFP. "Honestly I've been so busy working on China, working on Russia, working on Iran... I'm not thinking about Elon Musk, I just wish him well," Trump told reporters aboard Air Force One en route to his New Jersey golf club late Friday. Earlier, Trump told US broadcasters that he now wanted to focus instead on passing his "big, beautiful" mega-bill before Congress - Musk's harsh criticism of which had sparked their break-up. But the 78-year-old Republican could not stop himself from taking aim at his South African-born friend-turned-enemy. "You mean the man who has lost his mind?" Trump said in a call with ABC when asked about Musk, adding that he was "not particularly" interested in talking to the tycoon. Trump later told Fox News that Musk had "lost it." Just a week ago Trump gave Musk a glowing send-off as he left his cost-cutting role at the so-called Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) after four months working there. 'Very disappointed' While there had been reports of tensions, the sheer speed at which their relationship imploded stunned Washington. After Musk called Trump's spending bill an "abomination" on Tuesday, Trump hit back in an Oval Office diatribe on Thursday in which he said he was "very disappointed" by the entrepreneur. Trump's spending bill faces a difficult path through Congress as it will raise the US deficit, while critics say it will cut health care for millions of the poorest Americans. The row then went nuclear, with Musk slinging insults at Trump and accusing him without evidence of being in government files on disgraced financier and sex offender Jeffrey Epstein. Trump hit back with the power of the US government behind him, saying he could cancel the Space X boss's multi-billion-dollar rocket and satellite contracts. Trump struck a milder tone late Friday when asked how seriously he is considering cutting Musk's contracts. "It's a lot of money, it's a lot of subsidy, so we'll take a look - only if it's fair. Only if it's to be fair for him and the country," he said. Musk apparently also tried to de-escalate social media hostilities. The right-wing tech baron rowed back on a threat to scrap his company's Dragon spacecraft - vital for ferrying NASA astronauts to and from the International Space Station. And on Friday the usually garrulous poster kept a low social media profile on his X social network. But the White House denied reports that they would talk. "The president does not intend to speak to Musk today," a senior White House official told AFP. A second official said Musk had requested a call. Tesla giveaway? Tesla stocks tanked more than 14% on Thursday amid the row, losing some $100 billion of the company's market value, but recovering partly Friday. Trump is now considering either selling or giving away the cherry red Tesla S that he announced he had bought from Musk's firm in March. The electric vehicle was still parked on the White House grounds on Friday. "He's thinking about it, yes," a senior White House official told AFP when asked if Trump would sell or give it away. Trump and Musk had posed inside the car at a bizarre event in March, when the president turned the White House into a pop-up Tesla showroom after viral protests against Musk's DOGE role. But while Trump appeared to hold many of the cards, Musk also has some to play. His wealth allowed him to be the biggest donor to Trump's 2024 campaign, to the tune of nearly $300 million. Any further support for the 2026 midterm election now appears in doubt - while Musk could also use his money to undermine Trump's support on the right.
Yahoo
an hour ago
- Yahoo
Florida Republican foresees Trump-Musk reconciliation
Rep. Jimmy Patronis (R-Fla.) said President Trump and Elon Musk's feud wouldn't last for long, noting that the Republican Party and the president's allies are all a part of 'one big family.' Musk in recent days has criticized the president's budget bill over its effects on the national debt, which the tech billionaire says 'undermines' the work he completed at the Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE). The fight reached a fever pitch this week, with the two exchanging harsh words on social media. But as the spat continues, Patronis said he believes the two will soon reconcile. 'I don't know how many times I've seen Donald Trump throw [Sen.] Lindsey Graham [(R-S.C.)] out by the side of the street and say the guy's crazy. But then you know what? The next week they're playing golf together. This is no different,' Patronis said during a Friday appearance on NewsNation's 'The Hill,' referencing the president's sometimes fraught relationship with the South Carolina lawmaker. 'Trump knows that sometimes you're going to have falling out with those that you trust, you like, that you're friends with. It happens with us in D.C. all the time. So again. Mark my words. About a month from now, these guys will be hanging around again,' he added. The Florida lawmaker also poured cold water on Musk's recent proposal to launch a third party to challenge. 'Elon Musk is not gonna create a new new political party,' he told NewsNation. On Friday, Musk floated 'The America Party' as a potential new political faction after posting a poll for his followers to weigh in on the social media platform X the day prior. 'I appreciate what Elon Musk has done with DOGE. He's brought things to light that we're going to act upon in Congress. But the end of the day, the only friends I look at making in Washington DC [are] probably my wife and my kids,' Patronis said. 'The friends I care about are the ones in Congressional District 1 … and they elected Donald Trump,' he added. 'They did not elect Elon Musk.' Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.


Fox News
an hour ago
- Fox News
The Biggest Break-Up In America
President Trump says he's over Elon, while the world's richest man stands outside the White House with a boombox– and Democrats argue over who gets to ask him to prom. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit FOX News Radio