Trump ‘disappointed' in Musk, who hits back at US president's ‘ingratitude'
Tensions between Donald Trump and Elon Musk exploded into public view on Thursday, as the US president said he was 'very disappointed' by his billionaire former aide's criticisms and Musk hit back in real time on social media.
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Trump then posted online that he had asked 'crazy' Musk to leave his administration and threatened to take away the tech tycoon's government contracts.
'Elon was 'wearing thin,' I asked him to leave,' Trump said on social media. 'The easiest way to save money in our Budget, Billions and Billions of Dollars, is to terminate Elon's Governmental Subsidies and Contracts.'
Earlier on Thursday, Trump told reporters in the Oval Office: 'Look, Elon and I had a great relationship. I don't know if we will any more.'
The world's richest man responded by live-posting on social media as Trump spoke on television, saying that the Republican would not have won the 2024 election without him and slamming him for 'ingratitude'.
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In an extraordinary rant as visiting German Chancellor Friedrich Merz sat mutely beside him, 78-year-old Trump unloaded on Musk in his first comments on the issue after the SpaceX and Tesla boss called his tax and spending bill an 'abomination'.
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