2 days ago
As Elon Musk's bromance with Trump crumbles, an incident in Mar-a-Lago with Tesla link re-surfaces
As the ongoing feud between US President
Donald Trump
and tech billionaire
Elon Musk
continues to escalate, some are taking the opportunity to bring the attention back to Tesla. In a similar stunt to one pulled over a month ago, a plane with the banner "Save Tesla, Fire Musk" soared over Trump's Mar-a-Lago estate this weekend. While the party behind this message remains unknown, this aerial protest follows speculations that surfaced last month about
Tesla
's board considering Musk's replacement as CEO.
'Save Tesla, fire Musk'
On April 22, a plane with the same banner slogan was spotted flying over the Texas Capitol building and downtown Austin, corresponding with Tesla's earnings call, reports THE Irish Star.
The dispute originally began over Trump's budget bill but quickly escalated after Musk claimed that Trump wouldn't have won the election without his help. Trump then hinted that he might turn the federal government against Musk's businesses, including Tesla and SpaceX.
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The confrontation reached feverish levels as Musk insinuated that Trump's reluctance to release files related to convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein was because Trump himself appeared in them.
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The dispute escalated dramatically when Musk claimed that President Trump had not released files related to the infamous paedophile Jeffrey Epstein because Trump himself was implicated in them.
On June 5, Musk posted on X, 'Time to drop the really big bomb. @realDonaldTrump is in the Epstein files. That is the real reason they have not been made public. Have a nice day, DJT!' Although this post has since been deleted.
In response, President Trump appeared unfazed by the controversy, telling CNN, 'I'm not even thinking about Elon. He's got a problem. The poor guy's got a problem.'
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Meanwhile, Tesla's shares plunged over 14% in a sharp sell-off as investors reacted to the escalating feud between the CEO and the U.S. President. By the close of trading yesterday, Musk's personal fortune had dropped by an estimated $34 billion—nearly matching the largest single-day loss he suffered back in November 2021. Tesla's market value also took a huge hit, shedding about $150 billion.
Despite this massive setback, Musk remains the world's richest person, with an estimated net worth of $334.5 billion. In after-hours trading, Tesla shares rebounded slightly, gaining 0.8%.
Investors had poured hundreds of billions into Tesla stock following Trump's election, betting that political factors would favor the company. However, the recent turmoil has served as a reminder of the risks involved in such speculation.
