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Yahoo
21 hours ago
- Automotive
- Yahoo
White House: Musk has ‘a right to speak for his companies'
White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt on Thursday said that tech billionaire Elon Musk has the right to speak out on behalf of his companies amid the ongoing feud between President Trump and the Tesla CEO. The two had an explosive and public divorce on Thursday, during which they exchanged insults including Musk's claims that Trump wouldn't have won the 2024 presidential race without Musk's help, that files on the disgraced financier Jeffrey Epstein were being kept secret to protect the president, and Trump floating canceling government contracts with Musk's companies. Leavitt was asked on FOX News Channel's 'Hannity' about the falling out between Trump and Musk, who went from close allies to sparring publicly about the megabill, known as the 'one big, beautiful bill.' 'Tonight, the president's focus and the focus of the entire White House remains on passing the one big, beautiful bill. And as your audience just saw, on Friday, just days ago, the president graciously hosted Elon Musk in the Oval Office and Elon thanked the president for his incredible leadership to cut waste, fraud and abuse in our government, which this one big, beautiful bill does,' Leavitt said. She added, 'So the only difference between Friday and today is Elon went back to his companies. And, as a businessman, he has a right to speak for his companies. But as president, President Trump has a responsibility to fight for this country.' Musk earlier this week called for the megabill to be killed, calling it 'an abomination' and 'pork-filled' due to its effects on federal deficits. The president said in the Oval Office Thursday that he was 'very surprised' and 'disappointed' by Musk's harsh criticism of the legislation and that he was uncertain about the future of their relationship. The situation then quickly escalated with Musk and Trump posting back and forth on Truth Social and X, respectively. Trump said Musk 'just went crazy' because a key provision in the megabill takes away the tax credit for electric vehicles that benefited his company. 'I took away his EV Mandate that forced everyone to buy Electric Cars that nobody else wanted (that he knew for months I was going to do!), and he just went CRAZY!' Trump said. Musk officially left his government role last Friday after leading the Department of Government Efficiency and its efforts to slash government spending. The president held a press conference with Musk to mark his exit, during which he thanked him for his work on the government overhaul and gifted him a key to the White House. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
The Hill
a day ago
- Automotive
- The Hill
White House: Musk has ‘a right to speak for his companies'
White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt on Thursday said that tech billionaire Elon Musk has the right to speak out on behalf of his companies amid the ongoing feud between President Trump and the Tesla CEO. The two had an explosive and public divorce on Thursday, during which they exchanged insults including Musk's claims that Trump wouldn't have won the 2024 presidential race without Musk's help, that files on the disgraced financier Jeffrey Epstein were being kept secret to protect the president, and Trump floating canceling government contracts with Musk's companies. Leavitt was asked on FOX News Channel's 'Hannity' about the falling out between Trump and Musk, who went from close allies to sparring publicly about the megabill, known as the 'one big, beautiful bill.' 'Tonight, the president's focus and the focus of the entire White House remains on passing the one big, beautiful bill. And as your audience just saw, on Friday, just days ago, the president graciously hosted Elon Musk in the Oval Office and Elon thanked the president for his incredible leadership to cut waste, fraud and abuse in our government, which this one big, beautiful bill does,' Leavitt said. She added, 'So the only difference between Friday and today is Elon went back to his companies. And, as a businessman, he has a right to speak for his companies. But as president, President Trump has a responsibility to fight for this country.' Musk earlier this week called for the megabill to be killed, calling it 'an abomination' and 'pork-filled' due to its effects on federal deficits. The president said in the Oval Office Thursday that he was 'very surprised' and 'disappointed' by Musk's harsh criticism of the legislation and that he was uncertain about the future of their relationship. The situation then quickly escalated with Musk and Trump posting back and forth on Truth Social and X, respectively. Trump said Musk 'just went crazy' because a key provision in the megabill takes away the tax credit for electric vehicles that benefited his company. 'I took away his EV Mandate that forced everyone to buy Electric Cars that nobody else wanted (that he knew for months I was going to do!), and he just went CRAZY!' Trump said. Musk officially left his government role last Friday after leading the Department of Government Efficiency and its efforts to slash government spending. The president held a press conference with Musk to mark his exit, during which he thanked him for his work on the government overhaul and gifted him a key to the White House.
The Herald Scotland
18-05-2025
- Politics
- The Herald Scotland
Trump says former FBI Director James Comey's post 'meant assassination'
Comey, who is currently being investigated by the U.S. Secret Service, shared a picture on Instagram on May 15 with the number "8647" fashioned out of seashells on a beach, with a caption: "Cool shell formation on my beach walk." "A child knows what that meant," said Trump in an interview with FOX News Channel's Special Report with Bret Baier, which aired on May 16. "That meant assassination." In U.S. slang, the number 86 can be used as a verb as in to remove someone from a bar for unruly behavior, or to reject someone, and 47 could signify Trump, the 47th president, according to Merriam-Webster. Comey, who was fired by Trump in 2017, later deleted the post, saying he thought it was a political message. Trump said he did not buy his explanation. "He wasn't very competent, but he was competent enough to know what that meant," said Trump. "And he did it for a reason." More: What does 8647 mean? Why James Comey's Instagram post triggered federal response Comey was leading the FBI investigation into Russian interference in the 2016 election when Trump fired him in May 2017. Comey later backed Biden's presidential bid in 2020 and former Vice President Kamala Harris's presidential bid in 2024. "And when you add his history to that," said Trump. "He's a dirty cop." Asked if Comey should be in jail, Trump demurred and said he would let U.S. Attorney General Pam Bondi handle the decision. "We vigorously investigate anything that can be taken as a potential threat against our protectees," U.S. Secret Service spokesman Anthony Guglielmi said in a post on X. Last July, Trump was the target of a 20-year-old gunman at a rally in Butler, Pennsylvania. A bullet struck and injured the upper part of his right ear. Days later, Trump wore a large white bandage on his ear while attending the Republican National Convention to accept his party's presidential nomination. A Secret Service agent helped stop a second assassination attempt by spotting a man with a rifle hiding in shrubbery near Trump's golf course in West Palm Beach, Florida. Swapna Venugopal Ramaswamy is a White House Correspondent for USA TODAY. You can follow her on X @SwapnaVenugopal
The Hill
16-05-2025
- Business
- The Hill
Trump: Iran has to ‘move quickly' on new nuclear deal proposal
President Trump said Friday that Iran has to move quickly on a new nuclear deal proposal, after he teased that the U.S. and Iran are inching closer to an agreement. Trump confirmed to reporters on Air Force One on his way back to Washington from the Middle East that the U.S. has given Iran a formal proposal for a new nuclear agreement, adding, 'more importantly, they know they have to move quickly.' 'Something bad's gonna happen,' the president added. Trump also said in an interview on FOX News Channel's 'Special Report' that there is not a lot of time for negotiations to occur. 'Iran wants to trade with us, okay, if you can believe that. And I'm okay with it,' the president told host Bret Baier. 'I'm using trade to settle scores and to make peace. But I've told Iran we make a deal.' He added, 'There's not plenty of time. They's not plenty of time.' The president on Thursday, while in Qatar, told reporters the U.S. and Iran were in 'very serious negotiations' for 'long-term peace.' Reuters reported an Iranian source familiar with negotiations said there were still gaps between the two sides. Officials from Iran and the U.S. have been engaged in talks in recent weeks around Tehran's nuclear program and Trump recently has taken a softer tone toward Tehran and signaled he could be open to the country having a civilian nuclear program. The president on Wednesday, while in Saudi Arabia, urged Iran to stop supporting proxy groups in order to strike a nuclear deal with the U.S.
The Hill
16-05-2025
- Politics
- The Hill
Trump: Comey post ‘meant assassination'
President Trump said that he thinks former FBI Director James Comey's Instagram photo of seashells on a beach arranged to form the numbers '8647' was a call for his assassination, saying that the Justice Department will deal with the repercussions. The post on Thursday, which Comey has since removed, garnered significant blowback from much of Trump's base with many understanding the numbers to be a call for violence against the 47th president. 'He knew exactly what that meant. A child knows what that meant. If you're the FBI director and you don't know what that meant, that meant assassination. And it says it loud and clear,' Trump said in an interview with FOX News Channel's Bret Baier. 'Now, he wasn't very competent, but he was competent enough to know what that meant. And he did it for a reason and he was hit so hard because people like me, they like what's happening with our country,' He told the 'Special Report' host. 'Our country's become respected again and all this. And he's calling for the assassination of the president.' Baier noted that Comey apologized and that he clarified in a new post that he did not intend to call for violence and didn't realize his message would be interpreted that way. 'Well, he apologized because he was hit,' Trump replied. Baier then asked what the president wants to see happen in response and Trump deferred to attorney general Pam Bondi. 'I don't want to take a position on it, because that's going to be up to Pam and all of the great people. But I will say this, I think it's a terrible thing,' Trump said. 'And when you add his history to that, if he had a clean history, he doesn't.' 'He's a dirty cop, he's a dirty cop,' he continued. 'And if he had a clean history, I could understand if there was a leniency, but I'm going to let them make that decision.' Comey is a longtime foe of the president and has publicly criticized Trump in the past. The president fired him as the head of the FBI in 2017 and the former official later backed former Vice President Harris's presidential bid in 2024 and former President Biden's bid in 2020. Department of Homeland Security (DHS) Secretary Kristi Noem and Director of National Intelligence Tulsi Gabbard both accused Comey of calling for Trump's 'assassination' and a spokesperson for the Secret Service told The Hill the agency 'vigorously investigates anything that can be taken as a potential threat against our protectees.'
