Trump says Musk to face 'very serious consequences' if he funds Democrats
Donald Trump said on Saturday there would be "serious consequences" if Elon Musk funds US Democrats running against Republicans who vote for the president's sweeping tax-cut and spending bill and said his relationship with his billionaire donor is over.
In a telephone interview with NBC News, Mr Trump declined to say what those consequences would be, and went on to add that he had not had discussions about whether to investigate Mr Musk.
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Asked if he thought his relationship with the Tesla and SpaceX chief executive was over, Mr Trump said, "I would assume so, yeah."
"No," Mr Trump told NBC when asked if he had any desire to repair his relationship with Mr Musk.
Mr Musk and Mr Trump began exchanging insults this week, as Mr Musk denounced Mr Trump's bill as a "disgusting abomination".
Mr Musk's opposition to the measure is complicating efforts to pass the bill in Congress, where Republicans hold a slim majority in the House of Representatives and Senate.
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Asked if he thought his relationship with the Tesla and SpaceX chief executive was over, Mr Trump said, "I would assume so, yeah." Photo:)
The bill narrowly passed the House last month and is now before the Senate, where Mr Trump's fellow Republicans are considering making changes.
Nonpartisan analysts estimate the measure would add $2.4 trillion to the US debt over 10 years.
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Mr Trump said on Saturday he is confident the bill would get passed by the US July 4th Independence Day holiday.
"In fact, yeah, people that were, were going to vote for it are now enthusiastically going to vote for it, and we expect it to pass," Mr Trump told NBC.
Mr Musk had deleted some social media posts critical of Mr Trump, including one that signalled support for impeaching the president, appearing to seek a de-escalation of their public feud, which exploded on Thursday.
Mr Trump late on Friday suggested a review of federal government contracts held by Mr Musk. People who have spoken to Mr Musk said his anger has begun to recede and they think he will want to repair his relationship with Mr Trump.
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