Donald Trump Says Elon Musk Has ‘Trump Derangement Syndrome' as Rift Grows: ‘I Don't Know If We Will' Have a ‘Great Relationship' Anymore
The partnership between tech multibillionaire Elon Musk and President Trump appears to have frayed to a new breaking point.
Trump on Thursday commented on Musk and his criticism of the president's 'big beautiful' spending package, which Musk called a 'pork-filled Congressional spending bill' and a 'disgusting abomination.' Musk last week exited the administration as a special employee leading the Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE). Musk, the world's richest individual, had donated about $275 million to Trump's election campaign.
More from Variety
Jimmy Kimmel Roasts Trump for Sharing 'Deranged' Theory Claiming Biden Is a Robot Clone: 'This Is Deeply Nuts... if Your Dad Was Saying This, You'd Look for an Assisted Living Facility'
Elon Musk Slams Trump's Spending Bill: 'A Disgusting Abomination'
London Mayor Sadiq Khan Hails 'Adolescence' for Having 'Mainstreamed' Conversation About 'Epidemic' of Violence Against Women
Trump, speaking to reporters in the Oval Office Thursday, said, 'Elon and I have a great relationship' but that 'I don't know if we will anymore. I was surprised, because… we had a wonderful sendoff. He said wonderful things about me' at a May 30 press conference marking Musk's departure from the administration.
Said Trump, 'I'm very disappointed because Elon knew the inner workings of this bill. He never had a problem until right after he left.'
Trump said that others who have left his administration 'at some point they miss it so badly' and 'some of them actually become hostile. I don't know what it is, it's sort of 'Trump derangement syndrome,' I guess they call it,' the president said. 'They wake up in the morning, the glamor is gone, the whole world is different, and they become hostile.'
Trump, alluding to Musk's position as CEO of Tesla, also asserted that 'Elon is upset because we took [away] the EV mandate, which was a lot of money for electric vehicles. They're having a hard time, the electric vehicles, and they want us to pay billions of dollars in subsidy. Elon knew this from the beginning.'
Musk replied Thursday to Trump's comments on X, his social media platform. 'Whatever,' he wrote. 'Keep the EV/solar incentive cuts in the bill, even though no oil & gas subsidies are touched (very unfair!!), but ditch the MOUNTAIN of DISGUSTING PORK in the bill.' Musk continued, 'In the entire history of civilization, there has never been legislation that both big and beautiful. Everyone knows this! Either you get a big and ugly bill or a slim and beautiful bill. Slim and beautiful is the way.'
In addition, Musk disputed Trump's assertion that Musk 'knew the inner workings' of the bill 'better than anyone.' Musk wrote in a post, 'False, this bill was never shown to me even once and was passed in the dead of night so fast that almost no one in Congress could even read it!'
The Trump-backed One Big Beautiful Act narrowly passed the House last month and has yet get through the Senate. In its current form, the bill would add $3.1 trillion to the U.S. debt including interest over the next decade, according to the nonpartisan Committee for a Responsible Federal Budget.
The legislation would make Trump's 2017 tax cuts permanent (with wealthy Americans benefiting the most) and increase funding for the U.S. military and immigration enforcement. In addition, the version that passed the House includes significant funding cuts for health, nutrition, education and clean energy programs.
Best of Variety
What's Coming to Netflix in June 2025
New Movies Out Now in Theaters: What to See This Week
'Harry Potter' TV Show Cast Guide: Who's Who in Hogwarts?
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Business Upturn
14 minutes ago
- Business Upturn
Bitcoin rebounds above $104,700 after initial dip on Trump-Musk fallout
Bitcoin (BTC) staged a smart recovery on Friday, climbing back above the $104,700 mark after an early dip sparked by jitters in the market following the reported fallout between former US President Donald Trump and tech billionaire Elon Musk. As per latest data, Bitcoin was trading at $104,731.41, up 2.18% over the past 24 hours. The cryptocurrency saw a volatile session, hitting an intraday low of $102,405.29 before bouncing back sharply to test a high of $105,333.00. The market had initially reacted negatively to reports of strained relations between Trump and Musk, which had raised concerns about potential policy shifts or regulatory overhang on digital assets in the US. The development triggered a broad risk-off sentiment across major cryptocurrencies during early trade. However, BTC's resilience was on display as buyers stepped in at lower levels, fueling a strong rebound. The 24-hour trading volume stood robust at 14,435.76 BTC, with $1.5 billion USDT turnover, indicating healthy participation on the bounce. Crypto market analysts noted that despite short-term headlines, underlying bullish momentum in BTC remains intact amid improving institutional interest and optimism around the next leg of mainstream adoption. Traders will be watching closely for further developments on the Trump-Musk front, along with upcoming macroeconomic cues, which could influence BTC's near-term trajectory. Note: $BTC price at the time of writing this article. News desk at
Hamilton Spectator
19 minutes ago
- Hamilton Spectator
Lebanon aims to lure back wealthy Gulf tourists to jumpstart its war-torn economy
BEIRUT (AP) — Fireworks lit up the night sky over Beirut's famous St. Georges Hotel as hit songs from the 1960s and 70s filled the air in a courtyard overlooking the Mediterranean Sea. The retro-themed event was hosted last month by Lebanon's Tourism Ministry to promote the upcoming summer season and perhaps recapture some of the good vibes from an era viewed as a golden one for the country. In the years before a civil war began in 1975, Lebanon was the go-to destination for wealthy tourists from neighboring Gulf countries seeking beaches in summer, snow-capped mountains in winter and urban nightlife year-round. In the decade after the war, tourists from Gulf countries – and crucially, Saudi Arabia – came back, and so did Lebanon's economy. But by the early 2000s, as the Iran-backed militant group Hezbollah gained power, Lebanon's relations with Gulf countries began to sour. Tourism gradually dried up, starving its economy of billions of dollars in annual spending. Now, after last year's bruising war with Israel, Hezbollah is much weaker and Lebanon's new political leaders sense an opportunity to revitalize the economy once again with help from wealthy neighbors. They aim to disarm Hezbollah and rekindle ties with Saudi Arabia and other Gulf countries, which in recent years have prohibited their citizens from visiting Lebanon or importing its products . 'Tourism is a big catalyst, and so it's very important that the bans get lifted,' said Laura Khazen Lahoud, the country's tourism minister. On the highway leading to the Beirut airport, once-ubiquitous banners touting Hezbollah's leadership have been replaced with commercial billboards and posters that read 'a new era for Lebanon.' In the center of Beirut, and especially in neighborhoods that hope to attract tourists, political posters are coming down, and police and army patrols are on the rise. There are signs of thawing relations with some Gulf neighbors. The United Arab Emirates and Kuwait have lifted yearslong travel bans . All eyes are now on Saudi Arabia , a regional political and economic powerhouse, to see if it will follow suit, according to Lahoud and other Lebanese officials. A key sticking point is security, these officials say. Although a ceasefire with Israel has been in place since November, near-daily airstrikes have continued in southern and eastern Lebanon, where Hezbollah over the years had built its political base and powerful military arsenal. Tourism as a diplomatic and economic bridge As vital as tourism is — it accounted for almost 20% of Lebanon's economy before it tanked in 2019 — the country's leaders say it is just one piece of a larger puzzle they are trying to put back together. Lebanon's agricultural and industrial sectors are in shambles, suffering a major blow in 2021, when Saudi Arabia banned their exports after accusing Hezbollah of smuggling drugs into Riyadh. Years of economic dysfunction have left the country's once-thriving middle class in a state of desperation. The World Bank says poverty nearly tripled in Lebanon over the past decade , affecting close to half its population of nearly 6 million. To make matters worse, inflation is soaring, with the Lebanese pound losing 90% of its value, and many families lost their savings when banks collapsed. Tourism is seen by Lebanon's leaders as the best way to kickstart the reconciliation needed with Gulf countries — and only then can they move on to exports and other economic growth opportunities. 'It's the thing that makes most sense, because that's all Lebanon can sell now,' said Sami Zoughaib, research manager at The Policy Initiative, a Beirut-based think tank. With summer still weeks away, flights to Lebanon are already packed with expats and locals from countries that overturned their travel bans, and hotels say bookings have been brisk. At the event hosted last month by the tourism ministry, the owner of the St. Georges Hotel, Fady El-Khoury, beamed. The hotel, owned by his father in its heyday, has acutely felt Lebanon's ups and downs over the decades, closing and reopening multiple times because of wars. 'I have a feeling that the country is coming back after 50 years,' he said. On a recent weekend, as people crammed the beaches of the northern city of Batroun, and jet skis whizzed along the Mediterranean, local business people sounded optimistic that the country was on the right path. 'We are happy, and everyone here is happy,' said Jad Nasr, co-owner of a private beach club. 'After years of being boycotted by the Arabs and our brothers in the Gulf, we expect this year for us to always be full.' Still, tourism is not a panacea for Lebanon's economy, which for decades has suffered from rampant corruption and waste. Lebanon has been in talks with the International Monetary Fund for years over a recovery plan that would include billions in loans and require the country to combat corruption, restructure its banks, and bring improvements to a range of public services, including electricity and water. Without those and other reforms, Lebanon's wealthy neighbors will lack confidence to invest there, experts said. A tourism boom alone would serve as a 'morphine shot that would only temporarily ease the pain' rather than stop the deepening poverty in Lebanon, Zoughaib said. The tourism minister, Lahoud, agreed, saying a long-term process has only just begun. 'But we're talking about subjects we never talked about before,' she said. 'And I think the whole country has realized that war doesn't serve anyone, and that we really need our economy to be back and flourish again.' Error! Sorry, there was an error processing your request. There was a problem with the recaptcha. Please try again. You may unsubscribe at any time. By signing up, you agree to our terms of use and privacy policy . This site is protected by reCAPTCHA and the Google privacy policy and terms of service apply. Want more of the latest from us? Sign up for more at our newsletter page .
Yahoo
27 minutes ago
- Yahoo
Tesla's Optimus robot VP is leaving the company
The head of Tesla's Optimus humanoid robot program, Milan Kovac, is leaving the company. Kovac said Friday in a post on X that he "had to make the most difficult decision" of his life to leave. "I've been far away from home for too long, and will need to spend more time with family abroad," he wrote. Kovac said that was "the only reason" and that his support for Musk and Tesla is "ironclad." Kovac's departure was first reported Friday by Bloomberg News. The departure comes as Tesla CEO Elon Musk has claimed the company will have "thousands" of Optimus robots operating in its factories by the end of this year. "And we expect to scale Optimus up faster than any product, I think, in history, to get to millions of units per year as soon as possible," Musk said last month. Kovac worked at Tesla for nearly 10 years, with much of that time coming as a top engineer on the Autopilot team. He was tapped to help lead development of Optimus in 2022 and became a vice president overseeing the program in late 2024. "I'm driving the Optimus program (Tesla's humanoid robot) & all its engineering teams," Kovac previously wrote on his LinkedIn profile. "Separately, I'm also driving the engineering teams responsible for all the software foundations & infrastructure common between Optimus and Autopilot." Ashok Elluswamy, the vice president of Tesla's AI software division, will take over the Optimus project, according to Bloomberg. This story has been updated with information from Kovac's X post about his departure.
