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Daily Mail
21 minutes ago
- Daily Mail
JD Vance reveals how President Trump really feels about Elon's attacks and reacts to awkward call for impeachment
Vice President JD Vance revealed behind-the-scenes details of Elon Musk 's blow-up on social media on Friday and President Donald Trump 's reaction. Vance spoke about the incident in a podcast interview with comedian Theo Von that was recorded on Thursday as the fight between the pair of billionaires escalated. The vice president found himself reacting in real time to some of Musk's posts on X during the interview, including an awkward post where Musk endorsed the idea of impeaching President Trump and installing Vance as president. 'I just think the idea that the president should be impeached, I'm sorry, it's insane. It's totally insane, Vance said, describing Musk's social media tirade as 'not helpful.' He said that obviously Musk had the First Amendment right to disagree with the president but that it was a mistake for him to attack Trump. Vance also shot down Musk's claim that the president was 'in the Epstein files' even though he admitted he hadn't even seen the post before the interview. 'Absolutely not. Donald Trump didn't do anything wrong with Jeffrey Epstein. Like, there's the guy is whatever the Democrats and the media says about him, that's totally BS,' he said. The vice president was with the president when Musk's criticism of Trump began, but had not seen all the posts as he traveled to Nashville for the interview with Vonn. Theo Von asks JD Vance about Elon Musk's attacks against President Trump 'I know the president, for a couple of days, I'll tell you, I don't want to reveal too many confidences, but he was getting a little frustrated, feeling like some of the criticisms were unfair coming from Elon,' he said. Vance said that Trump was actually quite restrained in his response to Musk, again asserting that Musk's attacks were not good for the country. 'But I think it's been very restrained because the president doesn't think that he needs to be in a blood feud with Elon Musk. I actually think if Elon chilled out a little bit, everything would be fine,' he said. Musk signaled his opposition to the 'Big Beautiful Bill' on Thursday and posted criticism of the president on social media. Trump responded to Musk in real time, speaking to reporters during his meeting with the German Chancellor Friedrich Merz. Vance and Secretary of State Marco Rubio sat beside the president as he spoke, but did not speak about Musk themselves. The president's comments in the Oval Office further aggravated Musk, after clips of the news conference made their way to his social media feed. The highly-anticipated interview between Vance and Von was the first time the vice president spoke on camera about the feud. He reserved his public reaction for several hours as Musk fumed on social media about the president. The vice president defended President Trump on social media Friday morning. 'There are many lies the corporate media tells about President Trump. One of the most glaring is that he's impulsive or short-tempered,' Vance wrote on X. 'Anyone who has seen him operate under pressure knows that's ridiculous. It's (maybe) the single biggest disconnect between fake media perception and reality,' he continued. The vice president teased his interview with Von on social media, joking that he had no idea what they would talk about. Musk shared the post with a laugh-crying emoji, suggesting that the vice president had lightened the mood. Vance also posted a statement in support of Trump late in the evening. 'President Trump has done more than any person in my lifetime to earn the trust of the movement he leads. I'm proud to stand beside him,' Vance wrote at 10:30 pm EST on X. Vance has sided with Trump, but has demonstrated caution about attacking Musk, as he is still a very powerful and influential political donor. The vice president considers Musk a friend, and he defended the unpredictable billionaire as he prepared to exit the administration as a special advisor. 'I am going to miss him. Elon's become a very good friend,' Vance told Newsmax host Greg Kelly in an interview last week. Vance and Musk already had a relationship prior to the campaign, but their friendship has deepened since the election. 'He and his kids have come to our house and had dinner with our kids. I'm very close to him,' Vance said.
Belfast Telegraph
25 minutes ago
- Belfast Telegraph
Donald Trump and Elon Musk urged by Republicans to end feud
At a minimum, the explosion of animosity between the two powerful men could complicate the path forward for Republicans' massive tax and border spending legislation that has been promoted by Mr Trump but criticised by Mr Musk. 'I hope it doesn't distract us from getting the job done that we need to,' said representative Dan Newhouse, a Republican from Washington state. 'I think that it will boil over and they'll mend fences.' As of Friday afternoon, Mr Musk was holding his fire, posting about his various companies on social media rather than attacking the president. Mr Trump departed the White House for his golf club in Bedminster, New Jersey, without stopping to talk to reporters who shouted questions about his battle with Mr Musk. 'I hope that both of them come back together because when the two of them are working together, we'll get a lot more done for America than when they're at cross purposes,' senator Ted Cruz, a Texas Republican, told Fox News host Sean Hannity. Senator Mike Lee, a Republican from Utah, sounded almost pained on social media as Mr Trump and Mr Musk volleyed insults at each other, sharing a photo composite of the two men and writing, 'But … I really like both of them.' 'Who else really wants @elonmusk and @realDonaldTrump to reconcile?' Mr Lee posted, later adding: 'Repost if you agree that the world is a better place with the Trump-Musk bromance fully intact.' So far, the feud between Mr Trump and Mr Musk is probably best described as a moving target, with plenty of opportunities for escalation or detente. We need your consent to load this Social Media content. We use a number of different Social Media outlets to manage extra content that can set cookies on your device and collect data about your activity. One person familiar with the president's thinking said Mr Musk wants to speak with Mr Trump, but that the president does not want to do it – or at least do it on Friday. In a series of conversations with television news presenters on Friday morning, Mr Trump showed no interest in burying the hatchet. Asked on ABC News about reports of a potential call between him and Mr Musk, the president responded: 'You mean the man who has lost his mind?' Mr Trump added in the ABC interview that he was 'not particularly' interested in talking to Mr Musk at the moment. Still, others remained hopeful that it all would blow over. 'I grew up playing hockey and there wasn't a single day that we played hockey or basketball or football or baseball, whatever we were playing, where we didn't fight. And then we'd fight, then we'd become friends again,' Mr Hannity said on his show on Thursday night. Acknowledging that it 'got personal very quick,' Mr Hannity nonetheless added that the rift was 'just a major policy difference'. House of Representatives speaker Mike Johnson projected confidence that the dispute would not affect prospects for the tax and border bill. 'Members are not shaken at all,' the Republican said. 'We're going to pass this legislation on our deadline.' He added that he hopes Mr Musk and Mr Trump reconcile, saying 'I believe in redemption' and 'it's good for the party and the country if all that's worked out.' But he also had something of a warning for the billionaire entrepreneur. 'I'll tell you what, do not doubt and do not second-guess and don't ever challenge the president of the United States, Donald Trump,' Mr Johnson said. 'He is the leader of the party. He's the most consequential political figure of this generation and probably the modern era.'
Belfast Telegraph
25 minutes ago
- Belfast Telegraph
Israel says its military has retrieved body of Thai hostage from Gaza
The country's prime minister's office said on Saturday that the body of Thai citizen Nattapong Pinta was returned to Israel in a special military operation. The announcement comes as Israel continues its military offensive across the strip, killing at least 95 people in the past 24 hours, according to Gaza's health ministry. Mr Pinta was kidnapped from Kibbutz Nir Oz and killed in captivity near the start of the war, said the Israeli government. This comes two days after the bodies of two Israeli-American hostages were retrieved. Fifty-five hostages remain in Gaza, of whom Israel says more than half are dead. Israel's defence minister said on Saturday that Mr Pinta's body was retrieved from the Rafah area. He had come to Israel from Thailand to work in agriculture. The army said he was taken into Gaza by the Mujahideen Brigades, the small armed group that it said had also abducted and killed Shiri Bibas and her two small children. It is also the same group that took the two Israeli-American hostages, Judih Weinstein and Gad Haggai, whose bodies were retrieved by the army on Thursday. Israel said it found Mr Pinta's body based on information received from the hostage taskforce and military intelligence. A statement from the hostage forum, which supports the hostages, said it stands with Mr Pinta's family and shares in their grief. It called on the country's decision makers to bring home the remaining hostages and give those who have died a proper burial. Thais were the largest group of foreigners held captive by Hamas militants. Many of the Thai agricultural workers lived in compounds on the outskirts of southern Israeli kibbutzim and towns, and Hamas militants overran those places first. A total of 46 Thais have been killed during the conflict, according to Thailand's Ministry of Foreign Affairs. Before Mr Pinta's body was retrieved, three Thai hostages remained in captivity and two were confirmed dead. The fate of Mr Pinta was uncertain until Saturday, according to the hostage forum. The retrieval of Mr Pinta's body comes as Israel continues its military campaign across Gaza. Hospital officials said they received the bodies of nearly two dozen people on Saturday. Four strikes hit the Muwasi area in southern Gaza between Rafah and Khan Younis. In northern Gaza, one strike hit a flat, killing seven people including a mother and five children. Their bodies were taken to Shifa hospital. Israel said on Saturday that it is responding to Hamas's 'barbaric attacks' and is dismantling its capabilities. It said it follows international law and takes all feasible precautions to mitigate civilian harm. Hamas-led militants killed some 1,200 people, mostly civilians, in the October 7 attack and abducted 251 hostages. They are still holding 55 hostages, around a third of them believed to be alive, after most of the rest were released in ceasefire agreements or other deals. Israeli forces have rescued eight living hostages from Gaza and recovered dozens of bodies. Israel's military campaign has killed more than 54,000 Palestinians, mostly women and children, according to the Gaza Health Ministry, which does not distinguish between civilians and combatants. The offensive has destroyed large parts of Gaza and displaced around 90% of its population of roughly two million Palestinians.
