Trump threatens Musk with deportation after criticism
Trump also said the Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) – which Musk headed before stepping down late May – may train its sights on the Tesla and SpaceX founder's government subsidies.
"I don't know. We'll have to take a look," Trump told reporters at the White House when asked if he would consider deporting Musk.
"We might have to put DOGE on Elon. You know what DOGE is? DOGE is the monster that might have to go back and eat Elon."
Trump doubled down on the threat when he said he believed Musk was attacking his so-called "One Big Beautiful Bill" because he was annoyed that it had dropped measures to support electric vehicles (EV).
"He's losing his EV mandate. He's very upset about things, but you know, he could lose a lot more than that, I can tell you right now. Elon can lose a lot more than that."
Trump made similar comments on his Truth Social network late Monday, saying that "without subsidies, Elon would probably have to close up shop and head back home to South Africa."
Musk, the world's richest person, was Trump's biggest donor in the 2024 election and initially maintained a near constant presence at the newly elected president's side.
They had an acrimonious public falling out this month over the bill and the tycoon has reprised his criticisms in recent days, accusing Republicans of abandoning efforts to place the United States at the front of the EV and clean energy revolution.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
The Star
42 minutes ago
- The Star
Fed Chair Powell sticks to wait-and-see stance on interest rates
NEW YORK, July 1 (Xinhua) -- U.S. Federal Reserve Chair Jerome Powell on Tuesday reiterated his wait-and-see stance on interest rates while admitting that the Trump administration's tariffs prevented the Fed from lowering interest rates early. "As long as the economy is in solid shape, we think the prudent thing to do is to wait and see what those effects might be," said Powell at the European Central Bank (ECB) Forum on Central Banking in the Portuguese resort town of Sintra. U.S. inflation is likely to go up later this summer despite uncertainties on the timing and magnitude of price increase from the duties, according to Powell. The Fed would have already cut interest rates in 2025 if not for the shockwaves from tariffs announced by U.S. President Donald Trump, according to Powell. "In effect, we went on hold when we saw the size of the tariffs and essentially all inflation forecasts for the United States went up materially as a consequence of the tariffs," said Powell. The Fed has kept the target of federal funds rates unchanged at 4.25 percent to 4.5 percent this year. The Fed's wait-and-see mode has drawn fierce criticism from Trump, who has urged lowering interest rates to reduce the U.S. burden of paying interest on hefty debts. Powell and the entire Board of Governors of the Federal Reserve System should be ashamed of themselves for not cutting interest rates, according to Trump's post on social media on Monday. "The Board just sits there and watches, so they are equally to blame," added Trump.
Free Malaysia Today
2 hours ago
- Free Malaysia Today
Trump says he will ‘take a look' at deporting Musk
Elon Musk, the world's richest person, was Donald Trump's biggest donor in the 2024 US election. (EPA Images pic) WASHINGTON : US President Donald Trump said today he could consider deporting Elon Musk, after the South African-born billionaire slammed his flagship spending bill. Trump also said the department of government efficiency (DOGE) – which Musk headed before stepping down late May – may train its sights on the Tesla and SpaceX founder's government subsidies. 'I don't know. We'll have to take a look,' Trump told reporters at the White House when asked if he would consider deporting Musk. 'We might have to put DOGE on Elon. You know what DOGE is? DOGE is the monster that might have to go back and eat Elon.' Trump doubled down on the threat when he said he believed Musk was attacking his so-called 'One Big Beautiful Bill' because he was annoyed that it had dropped measures to support electric vehicles (EV). 'He's losing his EV mandate. He's very upset about things, but you know, he could lose a lot more than that, I can tell you right now. Elon can lose a lot more than that.' Trump made similar comments on his Truth Social network late yesterday, saying that 'without subsidies, Elon would probably have to close up shop and head back home to South Africa'. Musk, the world's richest person, was Trump's biggest donor in the 2024 election and initially maintained a near constant presence at the newly elected president's side. They had an acrimonious public falling out this month over the bill and the tycoon has reprised his criticisms in recent days, accusing Republicans of abandoning efforts to place the US at the front of the EV and clean energy revolution. Musk has also renewed his calls for the formation of a new political party called the 'America Party' if the bill passed.
The Star
2 hours ago
- The Star
As USAID stops foreign aid, Rubio says future US assistance will be limited
FILE PHOTO: A security guard is stationed in the former offices of the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID), where black tape covers the signage on the windows, in the Ronald Reagan Building and International Trade Center in Washington, D.C., U.S., April 24, 2025. REUTERS/Jonathan Ernst/File Photo WASHINGTON (Reuters) -The U.S. Agency for International Development will on Tuesday officially stop implementing foreign aid, Secretary of State Marco Rubio said, adding that America's assistance in the future will be targeted and limited. In a statement marking the transfer of USAID to the State Department as part of President Donald Trump's unprecedented push to shrink the federal government, Rubio said the U.S. was abandoning what he called a charity-based model and would focus on empowering countries to grow sustainably. "We will favor those nations that have demonstrated both the ability and willingness to help themselves and will target our resources to areas where they can have a multiplier effect and catalyze durable private sector, including American companies, and global investment," the top U.S. diplomat wrote. This new model, he wrote, would prioritize trade over aid and investment over assistance, adding it would put Washington in a stronger place to counter Beijing. The Trump administration has frozen and then cut back billions of dollars of foreign aid since taking office, saying it wants to ensure U.S. taxpayer money goes only to programs that are aligned with Trump's "America First" policies. The cutbacks have effectively shut down USAID, leading to the firing of thousands of its employees and contractors. That jeopardized the delivery of life-saving food and medical aid and has thrown global humanitarian relief operations into chaos. According to research published in The Lancet medical journal, deep funding cuts to USAID and its dismantling could result in more than 14 million additional deaths by 2030. Human rights experts and advocates have warned against the cuts. USAID funding has had a crucial role in improving global health, primarily directed toward low- and middle-income countries, particularly African nations, according to the study. Reuters reported on Tuesday that the administration canceled a major contract to supply emergency kits for rape survivors in eastern Democratic Republic of the Congo as violence surged there this year, leaving thousands without access to life-saving medication, the United Nations and aid groups said. INVESTMENT AND TRADE DEALS USAID was established in 1961 by Democratic President John F. Kennedy at the height of the Cold War with the aim of better coordinating foreign assistance, already a key platform of U.S. foreign policy in countering Soviet influence. Washington has been the world's largest humanitarian aid donor, amounting to at least 38% of all contributions recorded by the United Nations. It disbursed $61 billion in foreign assistance last year, just over half of that via USAID, according to government data. Among the programs affected by the cuts is the President's Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief (PEPFAR), the world's leading HIV/AIDS initiative. Sub-Saharan Africa remains the epicenter of the AIDS pandemic. Trump's cuts have restricted the availability of drugs that millions of Africans have taken to prevent infection - particularly vulnerable communities such as gay men and sex workers - as aid groups and public health systems in Africa strove to roll back the disease. Trump has said the U.S. pays disproportionately for foreign aid and he wants other countries to shoulder more of the burden. A senior State Department official briefing reporters on the condition of anonymity described the USAID model as "failed engagement" that did not reduce the dependency of foreign countries on the United States, and he said other nations will need to step up. "We want to see more investment from our partners, co-investment," the official said. "We want to see trade deals, compacts, agreements to work together on stuff." The shuttering of USAID drew a rare rebuke from former presidents George Bush and Barack Obama who joined a closed video conference event with the USAID community, the Associated Press reported on Monday. "Gutting USAID is a travesty and it's a tragedy. Because it's some of the most important work happening anywhere in the world," Obama was quoted as saying. (Reporting by Humeyra Pamuk; Additional reporting by Daphne Psaledakis; Editing by Don Durfee and Daniel Wallis)
