
Tesla hit with stock downgrades after fallout between Musk and Trump
Tesla was hit with a pair of downgrades on Monday, underscoring mounting concerns on Wall St about the electric vehicle maker's outlook following last week's clash between chief executive Elon Musk and US president Donald Trump.
Both Argus Research and Baird cut the stock to the equivalent of hold ratings, cementing Tesla's reputation as the least-loved megacap stock among analysts. Shares fell 1.6% in premarket trading.
The downgrades mark the latest hurdle for Tesla, shares of which are down about 27% in 2025, making it the weakest performer of the so-called Magnificent Seven stocks.
Tesla shares had rallied in the wake of Mr Trump's re-election, which Musk vigorously supported, but are down almost 40% off their peak in December.
Much of the stock's recent decline came after the blowup between Musk and Trump last week. Mr Musk subsequently suggested he was open to making amends, but the tensions are seen as a significant headwind overhanging the shares.
The first round of negotiations since the teams met a month ago is aimed at restoring confidence that both are living up to commitments made in Geneva.
During those discussions, Washington and Beijing agreed to lower crippling tariffs for 90 days to allow time to devise ways to address a trade imbalance that the Trump administration blames on an unfair playing field.
Bloomberg
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Elon Musk signals he may back down in public row with Donald Trump
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Irish Times
2 hours ago
- Irish Times
The Irish Times view on turmoil in Los Angeles: a key test of Trump's power
The Trump administration says that the US is being 'invaded' and a rebellion or insurrection is thus jeopardising its very existence. Even by the standards of Trump's hyperbolic rhetoric these inflated claims are extraordinary. They are necessary, however, for the president to invoke emergency powers to federalise California's National Guard and deploy 2,000 of its members against protesting Los Angeles citizens, contrary to the wishes of its commander, state governor Gavin Newsom. The latter describes the deployment as 'purposefully inflammatory' – it is the first time in 60 years that a president has mobilised the National Guard against the wishes of a state governor. The president justified his move on Sunday with incendiary language: 'A once great American city, Los Angeles, has been invaded and occupied by illegal aliens and criminals.' White House deputy chief of staff Stephen Miller posted that 'this is a fight to save civilisation.' And vice president JD Vance said the spectacle of 'foreign nationals with no legal right to be in the country waving foreign flags and assaulting law enforcement' could be defined as an invasion. READ MORE Sufficient justification, it appears, for invoking Title 10 of the US Code on Armed Services which allows federal deployment of National Guard forces if 'there is a rebellion or danger of a rebellion against the authority of the Government of the United States.' That notional immediate threat to the security of the US has also previously been used by Trump to justify his right to deport migrants without congressional or court approval; multiple cases challenging his increasing, deliberate , autocratic stretching of the constitutional boundaries of presidential power are working their way through the legal system. Newsom says he will also test his latest actions in the courts. In LA the deployment of the National Guard came after local police insisted that they had already restored order, and served only to provoke new protests in the city and elsewhere. Democratic governors across the US have also rallied against what they see as a serious violation of states' rights and autonomy. Trump clearly believes that the deployment will be strongly supported by an electorate which backs his flagship migrant deportation policy, and that it will send a warning signal about his ability to use the full weight of the federal state to enforce his agenda. California, a predominantly Democratic state, had already been in his sights, its funding threatened for allowing trans athletes to compete in women's sports, and its major rapid rail modernisation losing $4 billion in federal funding. The huge, wealthy state's capacity to fight back has yet to be tested. It will be a key test of the limits of Trump's authority to impose his malign immigration agenda.


RTÉ News
2 hours ago
- RTÉ News
China and US resume trade talks in London
Top US and Chinese officials were meeting in London today to try to defuse a high-stakes trade dispute that has widened beyond tit-for-tat tariffs to restrictions over rare earths, threatening to cripple supply chains and slow global growth. Officials from the two superpowers were meeting at the ornate Lancaster House to try to get back on track with a preliminary agreement struck last month in Geneva that had briefly lowered the temperature between Washington and Beijing. Since then the US has accused China of slow-walking on its commitments, particularly around rare earths shipments. US economic adviser Kevin Hassett said that the US team wanted a handshake from China on rare earths after Presidents Donald Trump and Xi Jinping spoke last week. "The purpose of the meeting today is to make sure that they're serious, but to literally get handshakes," Hassett, director of the National Economic Council, told CNBC in an interview. He said the expectation was that immediately after the handshake, export controls would be eased and rare earths released in volume. The talks, which could run into Tuesday, come at a crucial time for both economies, with investors looking for relief from Trump's cascade of tariff orders since his return to the White House in January. China's export growth slowed to a three-month low in May while its factory-gate deflation deepened to its worst level in two years. In the US, the trade war has put a huge dent in businessand household confidence, and first-quarter gross domestic product contracted due to a record surge in imports as Americansfront loaded purchases to beat anticipated price increases. But for now, the impact on inflation has been muted, and the jobs market has remained fairly resilient, though economists expect cracks to become more apparent over the summer. Attending the talks in London will be US TreasurySecretary Scott Bessent, Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick and US Trade Representative Jamieson Greer, and a Chinese contingent helmed by Vice Premier He Lifeng. The inclusion of Lutnick, whose agency oversees export controls for the US, is one indication of how central rareearths have become. China holds a near-monopoly on rare earth magnets, a crucial component in electric vehicle motors. Lutnick did not attend the Geneva talks at which the countries struck a 90-day deal to roll back some of the triple-digit tariffs they had placed on each other. The second round of meetings comes four days after Trump and Xi spoke by phone, their first direct interaction since Trump's January 20 inauguration. During the more than one-hour-long call, Xi told Trump to backdown from trade measures that roiled the global economy and warned him against threatening steps on Taiwan, according to a Chinese government summary. But Trump said on social media the talks focused primarily on trade led to "a very positive conclusion," setting the stage for Monday's meeting in London. The next day, Trump said Xi had agreed to resume shipments to the US of rare earths minerals and magnets and Reuters reported on Friday that China has granted temporary export licenses to rare-earth suppliers of the top three US automakers. China's decision in April to suspend exports of a wide range of critical minerals and magnets upended the supply chains central to automakers, aerospace manufacturers, semiconductor companies and military contractors around the world. White House spokeswoman Karoline Leavitt told the Fox News program "Sunday Morning Futures" that the US wanted the two sides to build on the progress made in Geneva in the hope they could move towards more comprehensive trade talks. The preliminary deal in Geneva sparked a global relief rally in stock markets, and US indexes that had been in or near bear market levels have recouped the lion's share of their losses. The S&P 500 Index, which at its lowest point in early April was down nearly 18% after Trump unveiled his sweeping "Liberation Day" tariffs on goods from across the globe, is now only about 2% below its record high from mid-February. The final third of that rally followed the US-China truce struck in Geneva. Still, that temporary deal did not address broader concerns that strain the bilateral relationship, from the illicit fentanyl trade to the status of democratically governed Taiwan and US complaints about China's state-dominated, export-driven economic model. While the UK government will provide a venue for Monday's discussions, it will not be party to them and will have separate talks later in the week with the Chinese delegation.


The Irish Sun
4 hours ago
- The Irish Sun
Elon Musk's estranged dad Errol hails Russia as the ‘peak of civilisation' & gushes over Putin at staged Moscow event
TESLA tycoon Elon Musk's estranged dad Errol has hailed Russia as the "peak of civilisation" - and even gushed over mad Vladimir Putin. , 79, made the explosive remarks in Moscow where he appeared at a Kremlin -backed event organised by the Russian dictator's inner circle. 8 Elon Musk's estranged dad Errol hailed Russia as the 'peak of civilisation' Credit: X 8 He made the explosive remarks in Moscow where he appeared at a Kremlin-backed event organised by Putin's inner circle. Credit: X 8 US President Donald Trump and Elon Musk (R) speak before departing the White House two months ago Credit: AFP It comes just days after his billionaire son's high-profile alliance with the US President imploded in a fierce online feud . Musk Snr took part in the Tsargrad propaganda forum where he bizarrely declared Moscow the "best capital" in the world. Marking his first time in Russia, Errol said: "I think the image that people give to us in the West of Russia is completely wrong. "Russia is wonderful, it's absolutely amazing. He added how it was "quite clear" that Moscow was better than any other city across the globe. Not only did the South African businessman praise Russia however, but also its mad leader Putin and, in turn, challenged the West's portrayal of him and his country. Errol said: "I think [Putin] is a very impressive man - he's proved that. A very stable, impressive man. "As for the perception of Russia, it's very wrong." Most read in The US Sun He added: "So the perception in America by the media, I will call it the fake media, is that Russia is a bad place and its full of very bad people, and they're all going to kill you to come here, which is complete nonsense." He explained how he was coming to Russia with his daughter Alexandra - but his sons told her that she musn't go "under any circumstances". And after Errol himself claims to have been given warnings on going to Moscow, he said he "arrived here, and the first thing I saw was a perfect total civilisation in every direction." He added: "I see a city that easily rivals ancient Rome. "And probably, I made a comment to somebody earlier, it's by far not by a little but by far the premier capital city in the world." Errol also discussed his estranged Tesla tycoon son Elon and his astronautics exploration company SpaceX - but credited Russia as originally being the "leader" of space engineering before his son "took over". He said it "all started off with the Russian attempts" which he said were "quite amazing". Just a day ago, speaking of the explosive feud between Elon and US President Trump, from his turbulent stint in Washington . He said: 'So at the moment, Elon is inclined to say that he's made a mistake.' 'Trump will prevail. He's the president, he was elected as the president. 'Elon made a mistake, I think, but he's tired, he's stressed. 8 Errol is currently in Moscow to appear at a Kremlin-backed forum 8 Russia's President Vladimir Putin chairs a meeting on Russia's language policy at the Novo-Ogaryovo state residence Credit: AFP 8 Elon Musk and Donald Trump's bromance is now beyond repair 8 Elon Musk, wearing two hats, speaks during a cabinet meeting in the Cabinet Room of the White House Credit: AFP 8 "They are all suffering from a bit of PTSD, a post-traumatic stress disorder over the last few months, they started hitting out at each other. 'And then in the end, it's just him and Trump left… They still don't know what to do, so they fight with each other until they can come to normal conditions.' And in response to a question from a Russian propaganda publication on how to "raise a genius," Errol said that a child needed to be "spanked a lot". Errol's ex-wife and Elon's mum Maye accused him of beating her during their marriage. She also once revealed that Elon tried to stand up for her during one of the beatings as a child. Errol has always denied being abusive to his ex-wife. Errol will speak at the Future Forum 2050, organised by Malofeev and Putin ideologist and 'philosopher' Alexander Dugin. Meanwhile, Russia appears eager to capitalize on Musk's estrangement from the US political elite. Putin crony Dmitry Medvedev cheekily offered to mediate peace talks between 'D and E' — Trump and Elon— 'for a reasonable fee and to accept Starlink shares as payment.' Another Kremlin loyalist, ex-space chief Dmitry Rogozin, publicly offered Musk asylum. 'You are respected in Russia. If you encounter insurmountable problems in the US, come to us and become one of us,' Rogozin wrote. Russia would offer him 'reliable comrades and complete freedom of technical creativity'. TRUMP FALLOUT The world's richest man Musk — who reportedly donated $288 million to Trump's 2024 campaign and briefly served as a White House aide — has now turned on the president over his sweeping tax and spending bill. Elon even claimed on X that Trump was tied to disgraced paedophile Jeffrey Epstein, Their bromance is now beyond repair. Read more on the Irish Sun On Sunday, Trump confirmed to NBC that he has no interest in making amends: 'I would assume so, yeah,' he said when asked if their relationship was over. 'I have no intention of speaking to him.' The former allies have been - throwing . What is Elon & Errol's relationship? By Annabel Bate, Foreign News Reporter ERROL Musk and his son Elon have a very turbulent relationship, characterised by estrangement. Elon has describd his dad as a "terrible human being" and "evil" in the past. Meanwhile Errol has called his Tesla tycoon son a "spoilt child". Errol's ex-wife and Elon Musk's mum Maye accused him of beating her during their marriage. She also once revealed that Elon tried to stand up for her during one of the beatings as a child. Errol has always denied being abusive to his ex-wife. After his parents divorced, Elon initially went to live with his mother in Canada. But he was sent back to South Africa to live with Errol just a year later. Errol said the split had a big impact on Elon's mental state at the time. He was very unsure of himself," the 77-year-old said. "Until he was 12 he slept with me in the main bedroom on my big double bed. "He had his own room but I never told him to go to his room." Although there were struggles, the Musks were never short on money during Elon's youth. "It was a privileged world," said Errol, who was the part owner of an emerald mine.