Trump warns Musk not to back Democrats as Vance aims for detente
PRESIDENT Donald Trump said Elon Musk will pay 'very serious consequences' if the billionaire tech mogul funds Democratic candidates that challenge lawmakers who backed Republicans' tax-and-spending bill.
Trump, in a phone interview with NBC News' Kristen Welker, also said he has no desire to repair his relationship with Musk. The two had a public falling out on Thursday.
'I gave him breaks in my first administration, and saved his life in my first administration, I have no intention of speaking to him,' Trump said in the interview, calling Musk 'disrespectful' and that he assumes the relationship is over.
The world's richest man backed Trump and Vice President JD Vance's election campaign in 2024 and headed the Department of Government Efficiency's cost-cutting efforts. His alliance with Trump broke apart in dramatic fashion, however, after Musk spoke out against the tax bill backed by the president.
Musk has argued the bill would add to the deficit and undermine his efforts to slash government spending. Trump and his allies, in turn, have pointed to the bill's plan to phase out electric vehicle tax credits that benefit electric carmaker Tesla Inc. as the reason for Musk's outrage.
Trump also told NBC that he doesn't think Musk has the power to sink the tax bill and said he is 'very confident' the measure will pass by July 4.
Vance expressed hopes that Musk eventually 'comes back into the fold' during an interview on the podcast 'This Past Weekend w/ Theo Von' released on Saturday. Trump had encouraged Vance to speak diplomatically about Musk before his appearance on the podcast, according to a person familiar with the situation who shared details on condition of anonymity.
The public feud shaved $34 billion from Musk's personal net worth in a single day, while Tesla lost $153 billion of market value on Thursday.
Trump said he hadn't given his earlier suggestion about canceling Musk's companies' federal contracts any more thought, according to NBC. 'I'd be allowed to do that,' he said. 'I haven't given it any thought.' –BLOOMBERG
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