‘Takes two to Tango': Trump mulls punishing Ukraine, as well as Russia
The Kremlin also accused Britain on Thursday of being involved in the surprise Ukrainian drone strike on Russia at the weekend.
'Such a kind of attack involves, of course, provision of very high technology, so-called geospaced data, which can only be done by those who have it in possession. And this is London and Washington,' Russian ambassador to London Andrei Kelin told Sky News, as reported by the UK Telegraph.
'I don't believe that America [is involved], that has been denied by President Trump, definitely, but it has not been denied by London.'
Downing Street said it would never comment on operational matters at home or abroad.
European leaders are worried that Trump, who has expressed frustration over efforts to bring an end to Russia's war in Ukraine, will abandon Ukraine peace talks and US support for Kyiv. Trump said during the meeting with Merz that he believed Germany agreed with him about the need for an end to the conflict with Ukraine. Merz reiterated his support for Ukraine.
'My personal view is clear on that we are on the side of Ukraine, and we are trying to get them stronger and stronger, just to make Putin stop this war,' Merz said.
Trump's rhetoric may alarm European partners, who are hoping to convince him to ramp up pressure on Putin to force the Russian leader to the negotiating table.
Putin has rejected calls for a ceasefire; Trump is expected to meet with key US allies at the G7 and a NATO summit later this month.
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'We are all looking for measures and instruments to bring this terrible war to an end,' Merz said. 'So let's talk about what we can do jointly, and we are ready to do what we can. And you know that we gave support to Ukraine and that we are looking for more pressure on Russia.'
Thursday's meeting between Merz and Trump was an early test for the 69-year-old conservative who became Germany's new leader last month. Merz is visiting Washington in a bid to bolster ties strained by Trump's sweeping tariffs and Russia's war in Ukraine — issues expected to dominate their agenda.
Merz presented Trump with the birth certificate of his German grandfather, who was born in the village of Kallstadt in 1869 and later immigrated to New York as a 16-year-old and made his fortune in the restaurant business.
'We'll put it up in a place of honour,' Trump said.
The gift is part of Merz's charm offensive and is supposed to remind the US president of his German roots. But it clearly also carries a political message for Trump, who has criticised post-war Germany for having benefited from US military protection without having paid its fair share.
The timing of Merz's visit is critical for trade talks, with just weeks to go before Trump's threatened 50 per cent tariff on nearly all European Union goods is set to take effect. The EU and the US have been engaged in talks to avert higher import taxes, but the process has been rocky, with Trump bemoaning the level of progress and issuing fresh threats that have heightened tensions.
Trump on Tuesday signed an order doubling US steel and aluminum tariffs to 50 per cent, angering European officials, who say the move undermines negotiations and threatened retaliatory measures if a deal is not reached.
Trump has suggested that if he is unable to reach deals with trading partners that he will just settle on a tariff level.
'We'll end up, hopefully, with a trade deal or, or we'll do something, you know, we'll do the tariffs,' Trump told Merz on Thursday. 'I mean, I'm OK with the tariffs, or we make a deal with the trade.'
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Trump's complaints about the EU are longstanding. He recently accused the bloc of slow-walking negotiations and unfairly targeting US companies with lawsuits and regulations. He threatened the higher 50 per cent tariff on the bloc starting June 1, but delayed it until July 9 after a phone call with European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen.
At home, the far-right Alternative for Germany wants Merz to break with Brussels to resolve the trade dispute, an idea the chancellor has rejected.
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US and China set for new trade talks in London
Three of US President Donald Trump's top aides are set to meet with their Chinese counterparts in London for talks aimed at resolving a trade dispute between the governments of the world's two largest economies that has kept global markets on edge. US Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent, Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick and Trade Representative Jamieson Greer will represent the United States in the talks on Monday, Trump announced in a post on his Truth Social platform. China's foreign ministry said on Saturday that Vice Premier He Lifeng will be in the United Kingdom between Sunday and Friday, adding that the first meeting of the China-US economic and trade consultation mechanism would be held during this visit. "The meeting should go very well," Trump wrote. The first meeting of the China-US economic and trade consultation mechanism will be held with the United States during He's visit, Chinese authorities said. He led the Chinese side in the first round of trade talks that took place in Switzerland in May. Trump spoke to Chinese President Xi Jinping on Thursday in a rare leader-to-leader call amid weeks of brewing trade tensions and a dispute over critical minerals. Trump and Xi agreed to visit one another and asked their staffs to hold talks in the meantime. Both countries are under pressure to relieve tensions, with the global economy under pressure over Chinese control over the rare earth mineral exports of which it is the dominant producer and investors more broadly anxious about Trump's wider effort to impose tariffs on goods from most US trading partners. China, meanwhile, has seen its own supply of key US imports like chip-design software and nuclear plant parts curtailed. The countries struck a 90-day deal on May 12 in Switzerland to roll back some of the triple-digit, tit-for-tat tariffs they had placed on each other since Trump returned to the presidency in January. That preliminary deal sparked a global relief rally in stock markets, and US indexes that had been in or near bear market levels have recouped the lion's share of their losses. The S&P 500 stock index, which at its lowest point in early April was down nearly 18 per cent after Trump unveiled his sweeping "Liberation Day" tariffs on goods from across the globe, is now only about 2 per cent below its record high from mid-February. The final third of that rally followed the US-China truce struck in Geneva. Still, that temporary deal did not address broader concerns that strain the bilateral relationship, from the illicit fentanyl trade to the status of democratically governed Taiwan and US complaints about China's state-dominated export-driven economic model. Three of US President Donald Trump's top aides are set to meet with their Chinese counterparts in London for talks aimed at resolving a trade dispute between the governments of the world's two largest economies that has kept global markets on edge. US Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent, Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick and Trade Representative Jamieson Greer will represent the United States in the talks on Monday, Trump announced in a post on his Truth Social platform. China's foreign ministry said on Saturday that Vice Premier He Lifeng will be in the United Kingdom between Sunday and Friday, adding that the first meeting of the China-US economic and trade consultation mechanism would be held during this visit. "The meeting should go very well," Trump wrote. The first meeting of the China-US economic and trade consultation mechanism will be held with the United States during He's visit, Chinese authorities said. He led the Chinese side in the first round of trade talks that took place in Switzerland in May. Trump spoke to Chinese President Xi Jinping on Thursday in a rare leader-to-leader call amid weeks of brewing trade tensions and a dispute over critical minerals. Trump and Xi agreed to visit one another and asked their staffs to hold talks in the meantime. Both countries are under pressure to relieve tensions, with the global economy under pressure over Chinese control over the rare earth mineral exports of which it is the dominant producer and investors more broadly anxious about Trump's wider effort to impose tariffs on goods from most US trading partners. China, meanwhile, has seen its own supply of key US imports like chip-design software and nuclear plant parts curtailed. The countries struck a 90-day deal on May 12 in Switzerland to roll back some of the triple-digit, tit-for-tat tariffs they had placed on each other since Trump returned to the presidency in January. That preliminary deal sparked a global relief rally in stock markets, and US indexes that had been in or near bear market levels have recouped the lion's share of their losses. The S&P 500 stock index, which at its lowest point in early April was down nearly 18 per cent after Trump unveiled his sweeping "Liberation Day" tariffs on goods from across the globe, is now only about 2 per cent below its record high from mid-February. The final third of that rally followed the US-China truce struck in Geneva. Still, that temporary deal did not address broader concerns that strain the bilateral relationship, from the illicit fentanyl trade to the status of democratically governed Taiwan and US complaints about China's state-dominated export-driven economic model. Three of US President Donald Trump's top aides are set to meet with their Chinese counterparts in London for talks aimed at resolving a trade dispute between the governments of the world's two largest economies that has kept global markets on edge. US Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent, Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick and Trade Representative Jamieson Greer will represent the United States in the talks on Monday, Trump announced in a post on his Truth Social platform. China's foreign ministry said on Saturday that Vice Premier He Lifeng will be in the United Kingdom between Sunday and Friday, adding that the first meeting of the China-US economic and trade consultation mechanism would be held during this visit. "The meeting should go very well," Trump wrote. The first meeting of the China-US economic and trade consultation mechanism will be held with the United States during He's visit, Chinese authorities said. He led the Chinese side in the first round of trade talks that took place in Switzerland in May. Trump spoke to Chinese President Xi Jinping on Thursday in a rare leader-to-leader call amid weeks of brewing trade tensions and a dispute over critical minerals. Trump and Xi agreed to visit one another and asked their staffs to hold talks in the meantime. Both countries are under pressure to relieve tensions, with the global economy under pressure over Chinese control over the rare earth mineral exports of which it is the dominant producer and investors more broadly anxious about Trump's wider effort to impose tariffs on goods from most US trading partners. China, meanwhile, has seen its own supply of key US imports like chip-design software and nuclear plant parts curtailed. The countries struck a 90-day deal on May 12 in Switzerland to roll back some of the triple-digit, tit-for-tat tariffs they had placed on each other since Trump returned to the presidency in January. That preliminary deal sparked a global relief rally in stock markets, and US indexes that had been in or near bear market levels have recouped the lion's share of their losses. The S&P 500 stock index, which at its lowest point in early April was down nearly 18 per cent after Trump unveiled his sweeping "Liberation Day" tariffs on goods from across the globe, is now only about 2 per cent below its record high from mid-February. The final third of that rally followed the US-China truce struck in Geneva. Still, that temporary deal did not address broader concerns that strain the bilateral relationship, from the illicit fentanyl trade to the status of democratically governed Taiwan and US complaints about China's state-dominated export-driven economic model. Three of US President Donald Trump's top aides are set to meet with their Chinese counterparts in London for talks aimed at resolving a trade dispute between the governments of the world's two largest economies that has kept global markets on edge. US Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent, Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick and Trade Representative Jamieson Greer will represent the United States in the talks on Monday, Trump announced in a post on his Truth Social platform. China's foreign ministry said on Saturday that Vice Premier He Lifeng will be in the United Kingdom between Sunday and Friday, adding that the first meeting of the China-US economic and trade consultation mechanism would be held during this visit. "The meeting should go very well," Trump wrote. The first meeting of the China-US economic and trade consultation mechanism will be held with the United States during He's visit, Chinese authorities said. He led the Chinese side in the first round of trade talks that took place in Switzerland in May. Trump spoke to Chinese President Xi Jinping on Thursday in a rare leader-to-leader call amid weeks of brewing trade tensions and a dispute over critical minerals. Trump and Xi agreed to visit one another and asked their staffs to hold talks in the meantime. Both countries are under pressure to relieve tensions, with the global economy under pressure over Chinese control over the rare earth mineral exports of which it is the dominant producer and investors more broadly anxious about Trump's wider effort to impose tariffs on goods from most US trading partners. China, meanwhile, has seen its own supply of key US imports like chip-design software and nuclear plant parts curtailed. The countries struck a 90-day deal on May 12 in Switzerland to roll back some of the triple-digit, tit-for-tat tariffs they had placed on each other since Trump returned to the presidency in January. That preliminary deal sparked a global relief rally in stock markets, and US indexes that had been in or near bear market levels have recouped the lion's share of their losses. The S&P 500 stock index, which at its lowest point in early April was down nearly 18 per cent after Trump unveiled his sweeping "Liberation Day" tariffs on goods from across the globe, is now only about 2 per cent below its record high from mid-February. The final third of that rally followed the US-China truce struck in Geneva. Still, that temporary deal did not address broader concerns that strain the bilateral relationship, from the illicit fentanyl trade to the status of democratically governed Taiwan and US complaints about China's state-dominated export-driven economic model.
The Advertiser
an hour ago
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Ukraine says it is not delaying exchange of bodies
Russian claims that Ukraine is delaying exchange of soldiers' bodies are untrue, Ukrainian officials say, urging the Kremlin to stop "playing dirty games" and return to constructive work. Kremlin aide Vladimir Medinsky said on Saturday that Ukraine had unexpectedly postponed exchanging prisoners of war and accepting the bodies of killed soldiers for an indefinite period. Russian aircraft on Saturday carried out a new bombing raid on Kharkiv, killing one civilian and injuring more than 40, which Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy called "another brutal murder". Separately, Russian officials said a Ukrainian drone attack in the Moscow region wounded two people. Russia and Ukraine held the second round of peace talks in Istanbul on Monday where they agreed to exchange more prisoners - focusing on the youngest and most severely wounded - and to return the bodies of 12,000 dead soldiers. "Today's statements by the Russian side do not correspond to reality or to previous agreements on either the exchange of prisoners or the repatriation of bodies," Ukraine's state-run Coordination Headquarters for the Treatment of Prisoners of War said on Telegram. It said that the agreement on the repatriation of the bodies had indeed been reached but that no date had been agreed upon and that "the Russian side had resorted to unilateral actions" that had not been agreed within the framework of the process. Russia's defence ministry said on Saturday it expected the exchange of prisoners of war and the transfer of the bodies to take place soon. "To date, Kyiv has not given its consent to conduct the humanitarian operations. Representatives of the Ukrainian contact group did not arrive at the meeting place. We do not know the reason for the delay," the ministry said in a statement, citing Deputy Defence Minister Alexander Fomin. Medinsky said Russia had also handed over to Ukraine the first list of 640 prisoners of war, categorised as "wounded, seriously ill and young people," in order to begin the exchange. Ukraine, in turn, stated that it had also handed over the names for exchange, while Russia's lists did not correspond to the agreed approach as to which prisoners would be prioritised in the exchange. Medinsky earlier on Saturday urged Ukraine to strictly adhere to the schedule and the agreements and to immediately proceed with the exchange. He said that refrigerated trucks carrying more than 1200 bodies of Ukrainian troops from Russia had already reached the agreed exchange site. "We are on site. We are fully prepared to work," he said. "International TV channels, news agencies and correspondents are welcome to come and see for themselves that this is indeed the case." with AP Russian claims that Ukraine is delaying exchange of soldiers' bodies are untrue, Ukrainian officials say, urging the Kremlin to stop "playing dirty games" and return to constructive work. Kremlin aide Vladimir Medinsky said on Saturday that Ukraine had unexpectedly postponed exchanging prisoners of war and accepting the bodies of killed soldiers for an indefinite period. Russian aircraft on Saturday carried out a new bombing raid on Kharkiv, killing one civilian and injuring more than 40, which Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy called "another brutal murder". Separately, Russian officials said a Ukrainian drone attack in the Moscow region wounded two people. Russia and Ukraine held the second round of peace talks in Istanbul on Monday where they agreed to exchange more prisoners - focusing on the youngest and most severely wounded - and to return the bodies of 12,000 dead soldiers. "Today's statements by the Russian side do not correspond to reality or to previous agreements on either the exchange of prisoners or the repatriation of bodies," Ukraine's state-run Coordination Headquarters for the Treatment of Prisoners of War said on Telegram. It said that the agreement on the repatriation of the bodies had indeed been reached but that no date had been agreed upon and that "the Russian side had resorted to unilateral actions" that had not been agreed within the framework of the process. Russia's defence ministry said on Saturday it expected the exchange of prisoners of war and the transfer of the bodies to take place soon. "To date, Kyiv has not given its consent to conduct the humanitarian operations. Representatives of the Ukrainian contact group did not arrive at the meeting place. We do not know the reason for the delay," the ministry said in a statement, citing Deputy Defence Minister Alexander Fomin. Medinsky said Russia had also handed over to Ukraine the first list of 640 prisoners of war, categorised as "wounded, seriously ill and young people," in order to begin the exchange. Ukraine, in turn, stated that it had also handed over the names for exchange, while Russia's lists did not correspond to the agreed approach as to which prisoners would be prioritised in the exchange. Medinsky earlier on Saturday urged Ukraine to strictly adhere to the schedule and the agreements and to immediately proceed with the exchange. He said that refrigerated trucks carrying more than 1200 bodies of Ukrainian troops from Russia had already reached the agreed exchange site. "We are on site. We are fully prepared to work," he said. "International TV channels, news agencies and correspondents are welcome to come and see for themselves that this is indeed the case." with AP Russian claims that Ukraine is delaying exchange of soldiers' bodies are untrue, Ukrainian officials say, urging the Kremlin to stop "playing dirty games" and return to constructive work. Kremlin aide Vladimir Medinsky said on Saturday that Ukraine had unexpectedly postponed exchanging prisoners of war and accepting the bodies of killed soldiers for an indefinite period. Russian aircraft on Saturday carried out a new bombing raid on Kharkiv, killing one civilian and injuring more than 40, which Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy called "another brutal murder". Separately, Russian officials said a Ukrainian drone attack in the Moscow region wounded two people. Russia and Ukraine held the second round of peace talks in Istanbul on Monday where they agreed to exchange more prisoners - focusing on the youngest and most severely wounded - and to return the bodies of 12,000 dead soldiers. "Today's statements by the Russian side do not correspond to reality or to previous agreements on either the exchange of prisoners or the repatriation of bodies," Ukraine's state-run Coordination Headquarters for the Treatment of Prisoners of War said on Telegram. It said that the agreement on the repatriation of the bodies had indeed been reached but that no date had been agreed upon and that "the Russian side had resorted to unilateral actions" that had not been agreed within the framework of the process. Russia's defence ministry said on Saturday it expected the exchange of prisoners of war and the transfer of the bodies to take place soon. "To date, Kyiv has not given its consent to conduct the humanitarian operations. Representatives of the Ukrainian contact group did not arrive at the meeting place. We do not know the reason for the delay," the ministry said in a statement, citing Deputy Defence Minister Alexander Fomin. Medinsky said Russia had also handed over to Ukraine the first list of 640 prisoners of war, categorised as "wounded, seriously ill and young people," in order to begin the exchange. Ukraine, in turn, stated that it had also handed over the names for exchange, while Russia's lists did not correspond to the agreed approach as to which prisoners would be prioritised in the exchange. Medinsky earlier on Saturday urged Ukraine to strictly adhere to the schedule and the agreements and to immediately proceed with the exchange. He said that refrigerated trucks carrying more than 1200 bodies of Ukrainian troops from Russia had already reached the agreed exchange site. "We are on site. We are fully prepared to work," he said. "International TV channels, news agencies and correspondents are welcome to come and see for themselves that this is indeed the case." with AP Russian claims that Ukraine is delaying exchange of soldiers' bodies are untrue, Ukrainian officials say, urging the Kremlin to stop "playing dirty games" and return to constructive work. Kremlin aide Vladimir Medinsky said on Saturday that Ukraine had unexpectedly postponed exchanging prisoners of war and accepting the bodies of killed soldiers for an indefinite period. Russian aircraft on Saturday carried out a new bombing raid on Kharkiv, killing one civilian and injuring more than 40, which Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy called "another brutal murder". Separately, Russian officials said a Ukrainian drone attack in the Moscow region wounded two people. Russia and Ukraine held the second round of peace talks in Istanbul on Monday where they agreed to exchange more prisoners - focusing on the youngest and most severely wounded - and to return the bodies of 12,000 dead soldiers. "Today's statements by the Russian side do not correspond to reality or to previous agreements on either the exchange of prisoners or the repatriation of bodies," Ukraine's state-run Coordination Headquarters for the Treatment of Prisoners of War said on Telegram. It said that the agreement on the repatriation of the bodies had indeed been reached but that no date had been agreed upon and that "the Russian side had resorted to unilateral actions" that had not been agreed within the framework of the process. Russia's defence ministry said on Saturday it expected the exchange of prisoners of war and the transfer of the bodies to take place soon. "To date, Kyiv has not given its consent to conduct the humanitarian operations. Representatives of the Ukrainian contact group did not arrive at the meeting place. We do not know the reason for the delay," the ministry said in a statement, citing Deputy Defence Minister Alexander Fomin. Medinsky said Russia had also handed over to Ukraine the first list of 640 prisoners of war, categorised as "wounded, seriously ill and young people," in order to begin the exchange. Ukraine, in turn, stated that it had also handed over the names for exchange, while Russia's lists did not correspond to the agreed approach as to which prisoners would be prioritised in the exchange. Medinsky earlier on Saturday urged Ukraine to strictly adhere to the schedule and the agreements and to immediately proceed with the exchange. He said that refrigerated trucks carrying more than 1200 bodies of Ukrainian troops from Russia had already reached the agreed exchange site. "We are on site. We are fully prepared to work," he said. "International TV channels, news agencies and correspondents are welcome to come and see for themselves that this is indeed the case." with AP
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Vance downplays row between Trump, 'emotional guy' Musk
US Vice President JD Vance says Elon Musk was making a "huge mistake" going after President Donald Trump in a storm of bitter and inflammatory social media posts after a falling out between the two men. But the vice president, in a podcast interview released after the very public blow up between the world's richest man and arguably the world's most powerful, also tried to downplay Musk's blistering attacks as an "emotional guy" who got frustrated. "I hope that eventually Elon comes back into the fold. Maybe that's not possible now because he's gone so nuclear," Vance said. Vance's comments come as other Republicans in recent days have urged the two men, who months ago were close allies spending significant time together, to mend fences. Musk's torrent of social media posts attacking Trump came as the president portrayed him as disgruntled and "crazy" and threatened to cut the government contracts held by his businesses. Musk, who runs electric vehicle maker Tesla, internet company Starlink and rocket company SpaceX, lambasted Trump's centrepiece tax cuts and spending bill but also suggested Trump should be impeached and claimed without evidence that the government was concealing information about the president's association with paedophile Jeffrey Epstein. "Look, it happens to everybody," Vance said in the interview with comedian Theo Von. "I've flown off the handle way worse than Elon Musk did in the last 24 hours." Vance told Von that as Musk for days was calling on social media for the US Congress to kill Trump's "Big Beautiful Bill," the president was "getting a little frustrated, feeling like some of the criticisms were unfair coming from Elon, but I think has 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 added. Musk had by Saturday morning deleted his X posts about Trump and Epstein. The interview was recording on Thursday as Musk's posts were unfurling on X, the social media network the billionaire owns. During the interview, Von showed the vice president Musk's claim that Trump's administration hasn't released all the records related to sex abuser Jeffrey Epstein because Trump is mentioned in them. Vance responded to that, saying "Absolutely not. Donald Trump didn't do anything wrong with Jeffrey Epstein". "This stuff is just not helpful," Vance said in response to another post shared by Musk calling for Trump to be impeached and replaced with Vance. "It's totally insane. The president is doing a good job." Vance called Musk an "incredible entrepreneur" and said that Musk's Department of Government Efficiency, which sought to cut government spending and laid off or pushed out thousands of workers, was "really good". The vice president also defended the bill that has drawn Musk's ire, and said its central goal was not to cut spending but to extend the 2017 tax cuts approved in Trump's first term. Musk has warned that the bill will increase the federal deficit and called it a "disgusting abomination". "It's a good bill," Vance said. "It's not a perfect bill." Trump indicated in a phone interview with NBC on Saturday that he has no plans to make up with Musk. Asked specifically if he thought his relationship with Musk is over, Trump responded "I would assume so, yeah". "No," Trump told NBC when asked if he had any desire to repair his relationship with Musk. "I have no intention of speaking to him," Trump said. However, Trump said he had not thought about terminating US government contracts with Musk's StarLink satellite internet or SpaceX rocket launch companies. with AP US Vice President JD Vance says Elon Musk was making a "huge mistake" going after President Donald Trump in a storm of bitter and inflammatory social media posts after a falling out between the two men. But the vice president, in a podcast interview released after the very public blow up between the world's richest man and arguably the world's most powerful, also tried to downplay Musk's blistering attacks as an "emotional guy" who got frustrated. "I hope that eventually Elon comes back into the fold. Maybe that's not possible now because he's gone so nuclear," Vance said. Vance's comments come as other Republicans in recent days have urged the two men, who months ago were close allies spending significant time together, to mend fences. Musk's torrent of social media posts attacking Trump came as the president portrayed him as disgruntled and "crazy" and threatened to cut the government contracts held by his businesses. Musk, who runs electric vehicle maker Tesla, internet company Starlink and rocket company SpaceX, lambasted Trump's centrepiece tax cuts and spending bill but also suggested Trump should be impeached and claimed without evidence that the government was concealing information about the president's association with paedophile Jeffrey Epstein. "Look, it happens to everybody," Vance said in the interview with comedian Theo Von. "I've flown off the handle way worse than Elon Musk did in the last 24 hours." Vance told Von that as Musk for days was calling on social media for the US Congress to kill Trump's "Big Beautiful Bill," the president was "getting a little frustrated, feeling like some of the criticisms were unfair coming from Elon, but I think has 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 added. Musk had by Saturday morning deleted his X posts about Trump and Epstein. The interview was recording on Thursday as Musk's posts were unfurling on X, the social media network the billionaire owns. During the interview, Von showed the vice president Musk's claim that Trump's administration hasn't released all the records related to sex abuser Jeffrey Epstein because Trump is mentioned in them. Vance responded to that, saying "Absolutely not. Donald Trump didn't do anything wrong with Jeffrey Epstein". "This stuff is just not helpful," Vance said in response to another post shared by Musk calling for Trump to be impeached and replaced with Vance. "It's totally insane. The president is doing a good job." Vance called Musk an "incredible entrepreneur" and said that Musk's Department of Government Efficiency, which sought to cut government spending and laid off or pushed out thousands of workers, was "really good". The vice president also defended the bill that has drawn Musk's ire, and said its central goal was not to cut spending but to extend the 2017 tax cuts approved in Trump's first term. Musk has warned that the bill will increase the federal deficit and called it a "disgusting abomination". "It's a good bill," Vance said. "It's not a perfect bill." Trump indicated in a phone interview with NBC on Saturday that he has no plans to make up with Musk. Asked specifically if he thought his relationship with Musk is over, Trump responded "I would assume so, yeah". "No," Trump told NBC when asked if he had any desire to repair his relationship with Musk. "I have no intention of speaking to him," Trump said. However, Trump said he had not thought about terminating US government contracts with Musk's StarLink satellite internet or SpaceX rocket launch companies. with AP US Vice President JD Vance says Elon Musk was making a "huge mistake" going after President Donald Trump in a storm of bitter and inflammatory social media posts after a falling out between the two men. But the vice president, in a podcast interview released after the very public blow up between the world's richest man and arguably the world's most powerful, also tried to downplay Musk's blistering attacks as an "emotional guy" who got frustrated. "I hope that eventually Elon comes back into the fold. Maybe that's not possible now because he's gone so nuclear," Vance said. Vance's comments come as other Republicans in recent days have urged the two men, who months ago were close allies spending significant time together, to mend fences. Musk's torrent of social media posts attacking Trump came as the president portrayed him as disgruntled and "crazy" and threatened to cut the government contracts held by his businesses. Musk, who runs electric vehicle maker Tesla, internet company Starlink and rocket company SpaceX, lambasted Trump's centrepiece tax cuts and spending bill but also suggested Trump should be impeached and claimed without evidence that the government was concealing information about the president's association with paedophile Jeffrey Epstein. "Look, it happens to everybody," Vance said in the interview with comedian Theo Von. "I've flown off the handle way worse than Elon Musk did in the last 24 hours." Vance told Von that as Musk for days was calling on social media for the US Congress to kill Trump's "Big Beautiful Bill," the president was "getting a little frustrated, feeling like some of the criticisms were unfair coming from Elon, but I think has 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 added. Musk had by Saturday morning deleted his X posts about Trump and Epstein. The interview was recording on Thursday as Musk's posts were unfurling on X, the social media network the billionaire owns. During the interview, Von showed the vice president Musk's claim that Trump's administration hasn't released all the records related to sex abuser Jeffrey Epstein because Trump is mentioned in them. Vance responded to that, saying "Absolutely not. Donald Trump didn't do anything wrong with Jeffrey Epstein". "This stuff is just not helpful," Vance said in response to another post shared by Musk calling for Trump to be impeached and replaced with Vance. "It's totally insane. The president is doing a good job." Vance called Musk an "incredible entrepreneur" and said that Musk's Department of Government Efficiency, which sought to cut government spending and laid off or pushed out thousands of workers, was "really good". The vice president also defended the bill that has drawn Musk's ire, and said its central goal was not to cut spending but to extend the 2017 tax cuts approved in Trump's first term. Musk has warned that the bill will increase the federal deficit and called it a "disgusting abomination". "It's a good bill," Vance said. "It's not a perfect bill." Trump indicated in a phone interview with NBC on Saturday that he has no plans to make up with Musk. Asked specifically if he thought his relationship with Musk is over, Trump responded "I would assume so, yeah". "No," Trump told NBC when asked if he had any desire to repair his relationship with Musk. "I have no intention of speaking to him," Trump said. However, Trump said he had not thought about terminating US government contracts with Musk's StarLink satellite internet or SpaceX rocket launch companies. with AP US Vice President JD Vance says Elon Musk was making a "huge mistake" going after President Donald Trump in a storm of bitter and inflammatory social media posts after a falling out between the two men. But the vice president, in a podcast interview released after the very public blow up between the world's richest man and arguably the world's most powerful, also tried to downplay Musk's blistering attacks as an "emotional guy" who got frustrated. "I hope that eventually Elon comes back into the fold. Maybe that's not possible now because he's gone so nuclear," Vance said. Vance's comments come as other Republicans in recent days have urged the two men, who months ago were close allies spending significant time together, to mend fences. Musk's torrent of social media posts attacking Trump came as the president portrayed him as disgruntled and "crazy" and threatened to cut the government contracts held by his businesses. Musk, who runs electric vehicle maker Tesla, internet company Starlink and rocket company SpaceX, lambasted Trump's centrepiece tax cuts and spending bill but also suggested Trump should be impeached and claimed without evidence that the government was concealing information about the president's association with paedophile Jeffrey Epstein. "Look, it happens to everybody," Vance said in the interview with comedian Theo Von. "I've flown off the handle way worse than Elon Musk did in the last 24 hours." Vance told Von that as Musk for days was calling on social media for the US Congress to kill Trump's "Big Beautiful Bill," the president was "getting a little frustrated, feeling like some of the criticisms were unfair coming from Elon, but I think has 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 added. Musk had by Saturday morning deleted his X posts about Trump and Epstein. The interview was recording on Thursday as Musk's posts were unfurling on X, the social media network the billionaire owns. During the interview, Von showed the vice president Musk's claim that Trump's administration hasn't released all the records related to sex abuser Jeffrey Epstein because Trump is mentioned in them. Vance responded to that, saying "Absolutely not. Donald Trump didn't do anything wrong with Jeffrey Epstein". "This stuff is just not helpful," Vance said in response to another post shared by Musk calling for Trump to be impeached and replaced with Vance. "It's totally insane. The president is doing a good job." Vance called Musk an "incredible entrepreneur" and said that Musk's Department of Government Efficiency, which sought to cut government spending and laid off or pushed out thousands of workers, was "really good". The vice president also defended the bill that has drawn Musk's ire, and said its central goal was not to cut spending but to extend the 2017 tax cuts approved in Trump's first term. Musk has warned that the bill will increase the federal deficit and called it a "disgusting abomination". "It's a good bill," Vance said. "It's not a perfect bill." Trump indicated in a phone interview with NBC on Saturday that he has no plans to make up with Musk. Asked specifically if he thought his relationship with Musk is over, Trump responded "I would assume so, yeah". "No," Trump told NBC when asked if he had any desire to repair his relationship with Musk. "I have no intention of speaking to him," Trump said. However, Trump said he had not thought about terminating US government contracts with Musk's StarLink satellite internet or SpaceX rocket launch companies. with AP
