Trump says Musk has ‘lost his mind' as feud fallout mounts
US President Donald Trump and Tesla CEO Elon Musk speaking to the press as they stand next to a Tesla vehicle at the White House on March 11, in Washington. PHOTO: AFP
Trump says Musk has 'lost his mind' as feud fallout mounts
WASHINGTON – US President Donald Trump said on June 6 that Mr Elon Musk had 'lost his mind' but insisted he wanted to move on from the fiery split with his billionaire former ally.
The blistering public break-up between the world's richest person and the world's most powerful is fraught with political and economic risks all round.
Mr Trump had scrapped the idea of a call with Mr Musk and was even thinking of ditching the red Tesla he bought at the height of their bromance, White House officials told AFP.
But Mr Trump told US broadcasters that he now wanted to focus instead on passing his 'big, beautiful' mega-Bill – Mr Musk's harsh criticism of which had sparked their break-up.
But the 78-year-old Republican could not stop himself from taking aim at his South African-born friend-turned-enemy.
'You mean the man who has lost his mind?' Mr Trump said in a call with ABC when asked about Mr Musk, adding that he was 'not particularly' interested in talking to the tycoon.
Mr Trump later told Fox News that Mr Musk had 'lost it,' while CNN quoted the president as saying: 'I'm not even thinking about Elon....The poor guy's got a problem.'
Just a week ago Mr Trump gave Musk a glowing send-off as he left his cost-cutting role at the so-called Department of Government Efficiency (Doge) after four months working there.
'Very disappointed'
But while there had been reports of tensions, the sheer speed at which their relationship imploded stunned Washington.
After Mr Musk called Mr Trump's spending Bill an 'abomination' on June 3, Mr Trump hit back in an Oval Office diatribe on June 5 in which he said he was 'very disappointed' by the tycoon.
Mr Trump's spending Bill faces a difficult path through Congress as it will raise the US deficit, while critics say it will cut health care for millions of the poorest Americans.
The row then went nuclear, with Mr Musk slinging insults at Mr Trump and accusing him without evidence of being in government files on disgraced financier and sex offender Jeffrey Epstein.
Social media posts by US President Donald Trump and Mr Elon Musk displayed side by side on June 5.
PHOTO: AFP
Mr Trump hit back with the power of the US government behind him, saying he could cancel the Space X boss's multi-billion-dollar rocket and satellite contracts.
The right-wing tech baron apparently tried to deescalate.
Mr Musk rowed back on a threat to scrap his company's Dragon spacecraft – vital for ferrying Nasa astronauts to and from the International Space Station.
And on June 6 the usually garrulous poster kept a low social media profile on his X social network.
But the White House denied reports that they would talk.
'The president does not intend to speak to Musk today,' a senior White House official told AFP. A second official said Musk had requested a call.
Tesla giveaway?
Tesla stocks tanked more than 14 per cent on June 5 amid the row, losing some US$100 billion (S$129 billion) of the company's market value, but recovering partly on June 6.
Mr Trump is now considering either selling or giving away the cherry red Tesla S that he announced he had bought from Mr Musk's firm in March.
The electric vehicle was still parked on the White House grounds on June 6. 'He's thinking about it, yes,' a senior White House official told AFP when asked if Mr Trump would sell or give it away.
Mr Trump and Mr Musk had posed inside the car at a bizarre event in March, when the president turned the White House into a pop-up Tesla showroom after viral protests against Mr Musk's Doge role.
But while Mr Trump appeared to have many of the cards in their row, Mr Musk also has some to play.
His wealth allowed him to be Mr Trump's biggest donor to his 2024 campaign, to the tune of nearly US$300 million. Any further support for the 2026 midterms now appears in doubt – while Mr Musk could also use his money to undermine Mr Trump's support on the right. AFP
Join ST's Telegram channel and get the latest breaking news delivered to you.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Straits Times
2 hours ago
- Straits Times
Iran obtained ‘sensitive' Israeli intelligence: state TV
Iran and Israel have waged a years-long campaign of covert and overt operations against each other. PHOTO: ARASH KHAMOOSHI/NYTIMES TEHRAN - Iranian state television reported on June 7 that Tehran had obtained a trove of 'strategic and sensitive' Israeli intelligence, including files related to Israel's nuclear facilities and defence plans. 'Iran's intelligence apparatus has obtained a vast quantity of strategic and sensitive information and documents belonging to the Zionist regime (Israel),' the state broadcaster said, citing informed regional sources. The report did not include any details on the documents or how Iran had obtained them. The intelligence reportedly included 'thousands of documents related to that regime's nuclear plans and facilities,' it added. Iranian intelligence agencies and other state media did not immediately comment on the report. According to state television, 'the data haul was extracted during a covert operation', and included a 'vast volume of materials – including documents, images, and videos'. The report said the data was thoroughly reviewed by Iranian authorities after being securely transferred to the country. Iran and Israel have waged a years-long campaign of covert and overt operations against each other, ranging from cyberattacks and assassinations to drone strikes and acts of sabotage. Tehran accuses Israel of orchestrating the killings of several of its nuclear scientists, while Israel has blamed Iran for supporting militant groups across the region and targeting Israeli interests abroad. Western countries, led by the United States and Israel, Iran's sworn enemy and considered by experts to be the only nuclear power in the Middle East, accuse Tehran of wanting to acquire nuclear weapons. Iran denies having such military ambitions but insists on its right to civilian nuclear power under the Non-Proliferation Treaty, to which it is a signatory. The report comes amid ongoing tensions surrounding Iran's nuclear programme, which Israeli leaders view as an existential threat. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has consistently expressed support for bombing Iran's nuclear infrastructure. In 2024 , tensions between the two foes reached an all-time high as they exchanged direct fire amid Israel's ongoing war in Gaza. Iran, which has made support for the Palestinian cause a key tenet of its foreign policy since the 1979 revolution, does not recognise Israel. AFP Join ST's Telegram channel and get the latest breaking news delivered to you.
Straits Times
2 hours ago
- Straits Times
Musk deletes post claiming Trump ‘in the Epstein files'
US President Donald Trump (left) and Elon Musk speak in the Oval Office before departing the White House in Washington, DC, on March 14, 2025. PHOTO: AFP - Tech billionaire Elon Musk has deleted an explosive allegation linking Mr Donald Trump with disgraced financier Jeffrey Epstein that he posted on social media during a vicious public fallout with the US President this week. Mr Musk – who exited his role as a top White House advisor just last week – alleged on June 5 that the Republican leader is featured in secret government files on former associates of Epstein, who died by suicide in 2019 while he faced sex trafficking charges. The Trump administration has acknowledged it is reviewing tens of thousands of documents, videos and investigative material that his 'MAGA' movement says will unmask public figures complicit in Epstein's crimes. 'Time to drop the really big bomb: (Trump) is in the Epstein files,' Mr Musk posted on his social media platform, X as his growing feud with the president boiled over into a spectacularly public row on June 5. 'That is the real reason they have not been made public.' Mr Musk did not reveal which files he was talking about, and offered no evidence for his claim. He initially doubled down on the claim, writing in a follow-up message: 'Mark this post for the future. The truth will come out.' However, he appeared to have deleted both tweets by the morning of June 7. Supporters on the conspiratorial end of Mr Trump's 'Make America Great Again' base allege that Epstein's associates had their roles in his crimes covered up by government officials and others. They point the finger at Democrats and Hollywood celebrities, although not at Mr Trump himself. No official source has ever confirmed that the president appears in any of the material. Mr Trump knew and socialised with Epstein but has denied spending time on Little Saint James, the private redoubt in the US Virgin Islands where prosecutors alleged Epstein trafficked underage girls for sex. 'Terrific guy,' Mr Trump, who was Epstein's neighbour in both Florida and New York, said in an early 2000s profile of the financier. 'He's a lot of fun to be with. It is even said that he likes beautiful women as much as I do, and many of them are on the younger side.' Just last week Mr Trump gave Mr Musk a glowing send-off as he left his cost-cutting role at the so-called Department of Government Efficiency (Doge). But their relationship imploded within days as Mr Musk described as an 'abomination' a spending bill that, if passed by Congress, could define Mr Trump's second term in office. Mr Trump hit back in an Oval Office diatribe, and from there the row detonated, leaving Washington and riveted social media users alike stunned by the blistering break-up between the world's richest person and the world's most powerful. With real political and economic risks to their row, both then appeared to inch back from the brink on June 6, but the White House denied reports they would talk. AFP Join ST's Telegram channel and get the latest breaking news delivered to you.
Straits Times
3 hours ago
- Straits Times
‘Return to your country': Kabul tells Afghans rebuffed by Washington
Since Mr Trump returned to the White House in January, Afghans have gradually seen their chances of migrating to the United States or staying there shrink. PHOTO: REUTERS KABUL - The Taliban government on June 7 urged Afghans hoping to emigrate to the United States to instead return to Afghanistan, after Washington tightened entry conditions. US President Donald Trump this week announced a travel ban targeting 12 countries, including Afghanistan, which his proclamation said lacked 'competent' central authorities for processing passports and vetting. Commenting on the ban on June 7, Prime Minister Mohammad Hassan Akhund urged Afghans to return to their country, saying they would be protected even if they worked with US-led forces in the two-decade fight against the Taliban insurgency. 'For those who are worried that America has closed its doors to Afghans... I want to tell them, 'Return to your country, even if you have served the Americans for 20 or 30 years for their ends, and ruined the Islamic system',' he said in a speech marking the Eid al-Adha holiday, broadcast by state media. 'You will not face abuse or trouble,' he said, making reassurances that the Taliban Supreme Leader Hibatullah Akhundzada had 'granted amnesty for all'. After surging to power in 2021, Taliban authorities announced a general amnesty for Afghans who worked with the Western-backed forces and government. However, the United Nations has recorded reports of extrajudicial killings, detentions and abuses. In the past four years, the Taliban government has imposed a strict view of Islamic law and restrictions on women which the UN says amount to 'gender apartheid'. Afghans fled in droves to neighbouring countries during decades of conflict, but the chaotic withdrawal of US-led troops saw a new wave clamouring to escape Taliban government curbs and fears of reprisal for working with Washington. The US has not had a working embassy in Afghanistan since 2021 and Afghans must apply for visas in third countries, principally Pakistan, which has recently ramped up campaigns to expel Afghans. Since Mr Trump returned to the White House in January, Afghans have gradually seen their chances of migrating to the US or staying there shrink. Trump administration orders have disrupted refugee pathways and revoked legal protections temporarily shielding Afghans from deportation starting in July. AFP Join ST's Telegram channel and get the latest breaking news delivered to you.
