The View From India newsletter: From best friends to foes: the bitter Trump-Musk fallout

The Hindu

a day ago

Just as we were making sense of President Donald Trump's new ban on travel to the U.S. by citizens from 12 African and West Asian countries, the dramatic collapse of the alliance between billionaire CEO of Tesla and X, Elon Musk, and President Trump took the internet by storm. The partnership that demonstrated the deliberate yet effortless bond between power and capital, also exposed how either reacts to any perceivable threat. The Guardian's columnist Jonathan Freedland wrote that 'Musk and Trump are enemies made for each other – united in their ability to trash their own brands'. What drove this wedge between the two men — one, the most powerful leader and the other, the one of the richest businessmen — prompting them to trade such rage and bitterness in public? Watch this video to understand the controversial bill that sparked sharp disagreement between the two. Also read Smriti S. on the rise and fall of the partnership between Mr. Trump and Mr. Musk.
Shutting the door
Meanwhile, President Trump's new travel ban came into effect at 12 am ET on Monday, amid protests in the U.S.
San Francisco is suing President Donald Trump, claiming an executive order over immigrant-protecting 'sanctuary cities' is unconstitutional and a severe invasion of the city's sovereignty.
Demonstrators torched cars and scuffled with security forces in Los Angeles June 8, 2025, as police kept protesters away from the National Guard troops President Donald Trump sent to the streets of the second biggest U.S. city. Unrest broke out for a third day, with protesters angry at action by immigration officials that have resulted in dozens of arrests of what authorities say are illegal migrants and gang members.
The Hindu editorial noted: 'Many of the people seeking entry into the U.S., from countries that had seen American military intervention, such as Haiti and Afghanistan, are fleeing war, persecution and systemic violence. They are not national security threats but victims in search of refuge. By shutting America's doors on them, and immigrants in general, Mr. Trump is not making the U.S. safer. Rather, he is turning a country, which historically welcomed immigration and has benefited from it, into an insular, paranoid, self-doubting republic.'
Mounting rage over Israel's brutality Amid Israeli forces' relentless attack on Gaza, its members stopped a Gaza-bound aid boat carrying Greta Thunberg and other activists early Monday and diverted it to Israel, enforcing a longstanding blockade of the Palestinian territory that has been tightened during the war with Hamas. 'The selfie yacht of the celebrities is safely making its way to the shores of Israel,' the Foreign Ministry said in a social media post. The British-flagged yacht Madleen, operated by the pro-Palestinian Freedom Flotilla Coalition, sought to deliver some aid to Gaza.
The tolerance for Israel's brutality is certainly waning in many parts of the world. Tens of thousands of demonstrators marched through the streets of Rome on Saturday against the war in Gaza in a protest called by Italy's main opposition parties, who accuse the right-wing government of being too silent.
Our London correspondent Sriram Lakshman reports on the mounting pressure on the U.K. government of Keir Starmer to take a stronger position against Israel's actions in Gaza. It was on full display recently, with MPs, including those from the governing Labour Party, quizzing the government on its positions and accusing the Israeli government of Benjamin Netanyahu of genocide.
Neighbourhood watch
Watch: Justifying Operation Sindoor | Was multi-party delegation a success? – our latest episode of Worldview with Suhasini Haidar takes a closer look at the mandate for Multi-party delegations abroad, and whether it was mission accomplished.
Bangladesh: Delivering his Id speech on June 6, 2025, the Chief Adviser to the interim government of Bangladesh, Prof. Mohammed Yunus announced that the next national election will be held in April 2026. However, he announced the country would witness the launch of the 'July Proclamation', a document that he said was 'agreed upon by all parties.' Kallol Bhattacherjee reports.
Top 5 stories this week:
1. Under pressure on the battlefield, Ukraine turns to drones to hurt Russia – read Stanly Johny's analysis of the most recent escalation in the Russia-Ukraine war and its likely implications
2. A strategy fuelled by vision, powered by energy – Union Minister Hardeep S. Puri writes that India's energy sector can be defined in three words — confidence, self-reliance and strategic foresight
3. Should India amend its nuclear energy laws? Kunal Shankar discusses with experts Ashley Tellis and D. Raghunandan
4. Read Franciszek Snarski's profile of Karol Nawrocki, the 42-year-old conservative historian, who won the run-off of the Polish presidential election on June 1
5. Purtika Dua writes on South Korea's newly elected President, Lee Jae-myung, who brings to office a personal history marked by hardship and an agenda shaped by reform