Trump vs Musk: President warns Tesla CEO of 'very serious consequences' if he backs Democrats
US President Donald Trump issued a stern warning to Elon Musk, threatening "serious consequences" if the tech billionaire chooses to support Democratic candidates in retaliation against Republicans who back the GOP's budget bill.
Tired of too many ads? go ad free now
Speaking to NBC News in a telephonic interview on Saturday, Trump did not clarify what those consequences might be, but said, 'If he does, he'll have to pay the consequences for that,' adding, 'very serious consequences.'
The confrontation came after a dramatic rift between the president and Musk, who was once one of Trump's most prominent financial backers. Musk contributed more than $250 million to Trump's 2024 campaign efforts and briefly served as head of the department of government efficiency during Trump's term, where he oversaw extensive cuts across federal departments.
But in recent days, the relationship has unravelled in public view. The fallout began with Musk criticising the House-passed 'One Big Beautiful Bill Act' on his social platform X, arguing the GOP spending plan was unsustainable and would trigger an economic downturn.
Responding to Musk's criticism on Thursday he said, 'I'm very disappointed because Elon knew the inner workings of this bill. I'm very disappointed in Elon.
I've helped Elon a lot.'
Musk retaliated with a series of posts, many of them now deleted, including one calling for Trump's impeachment and another reviving long-discussed allegations about Trump's links to the late financier Jeffrey Epstein.
'That's called 'old news,'' Trump said on Saturday, dismissing the resurfaced claims. 'Even Epstein's lawyer said I had nothing to do with it.'
Asked whether he planned to repair his relationship with the Tesla and SpaceX CEO, Trump said curtly, 'No,' and confirmed that he believed their relationship was effectively over, 'I would assume so, yeah.'
Tired of too many ads? go ad free now
Trump added that he had 'no intention' of speaking with Musk again. 'I'm too busy doing other things,' he said.
He also accused Musk of being 'disrespectful to the office of the President,' stating, 'You could not disrespect the office of the President.'
Despite calls from conservative allies like Steve Bannon for federal scrutiny into Musk's business dealings, Trump said he hadn't discussed any such action. 'It's not something that's on top of my mind right now,' he said.
However, in a Truth Social post earlier this week, Trump did hint at possible retaliation, writing, 'The easiest way to save money in our Budget, Billions and Billions of Dollars, is to terminate Elon's Governmental Subsidies and Contracts.'
'I was always surprised that Biden didn't do it!'
Despite the public feud, Trump struck an upbeat note about the GOP's budget bill, expressing confidence it would pass the Senate by July 4. 'The Republican Party has never been united like this before,' he said. 'Actually, more so than it was three days ago.'
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Hindustan Times
37 minutes ago
- Hindustan Times
Protesters rally against ICE for second day in Los Angeles
LOS ANGELES -Federal agents in Los Angeles on Saturday faced off against demonstrators protesting immigration raids following Friday's protests that senior White House aide Stephen Miller condemned as an "insurrection" against the United States. The security agents on Saturday engaged in a tense confrontation with protesters in the Paramount area in southeast Los Angeles, where one demonstrator was seen waving a Mexican flag and some covered their mouths with respiratory masks. A live video feed showed dozens of green-uniformed security personnel with gas masks lined up on a road strewn with overturned shopping carts as small canisters exploded into gas clouds. A first round of protests kicked off on Friday night after Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents conducted enforcement operations in the city and arrested at least 44 people on alleged immigration violations. The Department of Homeland Security said in a statement that "1,000 rioters surrounded a federal law enforcement building and assaulted ICE law enforcement officers, slashed tires, defaced buildings, and taxpayer funded property." Reuters was unable to verify DHS's accounts. Miller, an immigration hardliner and the White House deputy chief of staff, wrote on X that Friday's demonstrations were "an insurrection against the laws and sovereignty of the United States." The protests pit Democratic-run Los Angeles, where census data suggests a significant portion of the population is Hispanic and foreign-born, against Trump's Republican White House, which has made cracking down on immigration a hallmark of his second term. Trump has pledged to deport record numbers of people in the country illegally and lock down the U.S.-Mexico border, with the White House setting a goal for ICE to arrest at least 3,000 migrants per day. But the sweeping immigration crackdown has also included people legally residing in the country, including some with permanent residence, and has led to legal challenges. In a statement on Saturday about the protests in Paramount, the Los Angeles County Sheriff's Office said: "It appeared that federal law enforcement officers were in the area, and that members of the public were gathering to protest." ICE, the Department of Homeland Security, and the Los Angeles Police Department did not respond to a request for information about the protests or potential immigration sweeps on Saturday. POLITICAL DIVISIONS OVER FRIDAY'S SWEEP Television news footage earlier on Friday showed unmarked vehicles resembling military transport and vans loaded with uniformed federal agents streaming through Los Angeles streets as part of the immigration enforcement operation. The Democratic mayor of Los Angeles, Karen Bass, in a statement condemned the immigration raids. "I am deeply angered by what has taken place," Bass said. "These tactics sow terror in our communities and disrupt basic principles of safety in our city. We will not stand for this." The LD did not take part in the immigration enforcement. It was deployed to quell civil unrest after crowds protesting the deportation raids spray-painted anti-ICE slogans on the walls of a federal court building and gathered outside a nearby jail where some of the detainees were reportedly being held. In a statement, DHS criticized Democratic politicians including Mayor Bass, saying their anti-ICE rhetoric was contributing to violence against immigration agents. "From comparisons to the modern-day Nazi gestapo to glorifying rioters, the violent rhetoric of these sanctuary politicians is beyond the pale. This violence against ICE must end," said Assistant Secretary Tricia McLaughlin. FBI deputy director Dan Bongino posted on X that they were reviewing evidence from the protests. "We are working with the U.S. Attorney's Office to ensure the perpetrators are brought to justice," Bongino said.
India Gazette
an hour ago
- India Gazette
Bone-crushing Russia sanctions bill could crush US trade Politico
Washington risks isolating itself from top world economies, including key European allies, according to the outlet The passage of a new US sanctions package on Russia could disrupt America's relationships with its biggest trade partners and isolate it from the world's leading economies, Politico reported on Saturday. The proposed bill includes a steep 500% tariff on imports from any country that continues to buy oil, gas, uranium, or other key commodities from Moscow. Among those most affected would be India and China, which together account for approximately 70% of Russian energy exports. Several other nations that import Russian energy and uranium could also be subject to the bill's penalties. Imposing 500% tariffs on Chinese-made imports would likely trigger a surge in consumer prices, severely disrupt supply chains, and potentially push US unemployment to levels associated with a recession, Politico noted. The sanctions could be described as targeting the US itself since the country continues to rely on enriched uranium imports from Russia for its nuclear power sector. And it could effectively isolate the US from many of the world's leading economies, including its European allies, the article says. US Senator Rand Paul wrote in the publication Responsible Statecraft that the bill "essentially amounts to an embargo" and could trigger "economic calamity on a scale never before seen in our country." He added that such punitive measures are unlikely to change Moscow's core strategic goals and only further entrench the US in a "failing" foreign policy approach. The sanctions bill was introduced in early April by a bipartisan group of senators led by Republican Senator Lindsey Graham and Democratic Senator Richard Blumenthal. In addition to 500% tariffs, the measure includes secondary sanctions targeting countries that maintain commercial ties with Moscow. Graham recently proposed amendments to exempt countries providing military aid to Ukraine from the tariffs. The change would shield the EU, which continues to import gas from Russia. The senator described the bill as "one of the most draconian sanctions bills ever written" and the sanctions as "bone-crushing." Russia has consistently criticized Western sanctions, calling them illegal, and maintains that they have failed to inflict lasting economic damage. In March, Russian President Vladimir Putin said that a total of 28,595 sanctions had been imposed on Russian companies and individuals in recent years - more than the total number on all other countries combined. According to the president, the West sought to eliminate Russia as a competitor, but its economy has only grown more resilient under pressure. (
Economic Times
an hour ago
- Economic Times
China approves some exports of rare earths ahead of US talks
Beijing has approved some rare earth export applications, potentially easing tensions before US-China trade talks. The commerce ministry confirmed the approvals, noting growing demand in robotics and electric vehicles, and will expedite approvals for qualified exporters to Europe. This follows a call between Presidents Trump and Xi, where Trump expressed optimism about resolving trade issues and advancing towards a deal. Tired of too many ads? Remove Ads Tired of too many ads? Remove Ads Beijing says it granted approval to some applications for the export of rare earths, a move that could ease tensions before trade negotiations between the US and China next Chinese commerce ministry confirmed the approval of the applications without specifying which countries or industries were covered, even as it noted growing demand for the minerals in robotics and electric vehicles. The ministry will continue to review and approve compliant export applications, according to a statement on confirmation comes days after the US and Chinese presidents spoke, following which Donald Trump said that there "should no longer be any questions respecting the complexity of Rare Earth products." Delegations from Beijing and Washington are scheduled to meet in the UK to conduct trade negotiations on granted temporary export licenses to rare-earth suppliers of the top three US automakers, Reuters reported on Friday. The commerce ministry also said earlier Saturday it will speed up approvals for qualified rare earth exporters to comment came one day after a rare call with Xi aimed at resolving trade tensions that have been brewing over the topic for that time, Trump said there had been "a very positive conclusion" to the talks, adding that "there should no longer be any questions respecting the complexity of Rare Earth products.""We're very far advanced on the China deal," Trump told reporters on countries struck an agreement on May 12 in Geneva, Switzerland, to roll back for 90 days most of the triple-digit, tit-for-tat tariffs they had placed on each other since Trump's January inauguration. Financial markets that had worried about trade disruptions rallied on the news.
