Latest news with #TrumpMusk
Yahoo
an hour ago
- Business
- Yahoo
Michael Cohen Makes Bold Prediction About Fate of Trump-Musk ‘Bromance'
Donald Trump's former 'fixer' predicts the president will turn on his richest ally—and he'll come for Elon Musk's billions. Michael Cohen, who spent years as Trump's personal attorney and confidant, told an MSNBC panel Sunday he had long anticipated that the Trump-Musk 'bromance was going to come to an end.' 'I'm going to say Trump will ultimately go after Elon's money next, because it bothers him that he is the richest man in the world,' Cohen said on The Weekend: Primetime. 'Yes, he used him for his money. Now he's going to go and he's going to figure out how Elon, with his companies, took advantage of the United States of America.' Cohen suggested Trump could use the Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE)—which Musk spearheaded until last week—to target the government subsidies that helped build the Tesla founder's fortune, specifically the electric vehicle tax credit. 'They're going to turn around, use DOGE to go, 'right, government efficiency, fraud, waste and abuse. How is it that he got $7,000 as a credit for every Tesla vehicle that was sold? That's where his billions were made. Why should the United States pay for electric vehicles? Pay your own car if that's what you want.' So they're going to claw it back,' Cohen said. 'He's going to do to Elon Musk, my prediction, what Mohammed bin Salman did to the other members of the royal family,' he added, referring to the Saudi Arabian ruler's 2017 crackdown on wealthy relatives. The White House did not immediately return the Daily Beast's request for comment. Cohen's prediction comes amid growing signs of fracture between Trump and Musk, who last week formally ended his time working with the administration at the helm of DOGE. The break followed a stretch in which Musk–a top donor who was allegedly taking drugs on the campaign trail–reportedly clashed with Trump aides and was viewed increasingly as a loose cannon within Trumpworld. Cohen was sentenced to three years in prison after pleading guilty in 2018 to multiple federal crimes, including campaign finance violations, tax evasion and lying to Congress. His conviction stemmed in part from orchestrating hush money payments during the 2016 election to silence women who alleged affairs with Trump. He served just over a year behind bars before being released to home confinement in 2020 due to COVID-19 concerns.
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The Independent
2 days ago
- Business
- The Independent
Even Trump started to doubt Musk and DOGE's promise to cut $1 trillion, report claims: ‘Was it bulls***?'
President Trump recently questioned whether Elon Musk 's pledge to cut $1 trillion in government spending was genuine, reportedly asking his advisers, 'Was it all bulls***?' The Wall Street Journal reports that even Trump, who remains friendly with Musk after he left his administration on Friday, started to doubt his promises while leading the Department of Government Efficiency. Despite Trump and Musk publicly praising each other in public during the billionaire's rocky four-month government stint, the president and his top aides sometimes had spats with Musk over things like the Middle East and cabinet meetings, sources told the outlet. At a spring cabinet meeting, Musk allegedly surprised officials by venting about the toll government work was taking on his businesses, especially Tesla. Attorney General Pam Bondi reportedly responded by pledging to prosecute every criminal they could. Still, Trump requested that his aides coordinate a farewell celebration for Musk in the Oval Office on Friday, they said. Trump and Musk frequently had long dinner conversations, though Musk's quirky sense of humor sometimes confused Trump, White House staffers told the WSJ. Still, the pair remains in contact and reportedly dined together as recently as last week. 'Elon is not really leaving,' Trump said in a press conference on Friday. 'He's going to be back and forth.' Trump's advisers reportedly described their time with Musk as chaotic, marked by his surprise decisions, late-night messages, and even overnight stays at the White House. Musk frequently clashed with senior officials, often bypassing key staff members, including Chief of Staff Susie Wiles, while making major government cuts. Top aides often learned about DOGE 's actions, like mass layoffs or sensitive data requests, from the news. Disagreements also allegedly arose over staff vetting, with Musk resisting White House control. Tensions grew so intense that Trump asked Wiles to take a more active role in managing Musk. Musk has also reportedly criticized some in the White House for lacking his level of commitment to reform in Washington. Initially, Musk was at the White House five to seven days a week, according to people familiar with the matter. That later dropped to three days, and by the end, he was only showing up occasionally, they said. The Independent has contacted representatives for Trump and Musk for comment. Musk reportedly told senior administration officials he was facing backlash from his time in government and needed to step away from the Trump administration to focus on his struggling businesses. 'I have to get some heat off me and my companies,' Musk allegedly said in private. He has been impacted by falling Tesla sales, with many people selling their vehicles, and the company's net income dropping 71 percent in the first quarter. SpaceX also experienced a string of challenges, including a rocket explosion earlier this week. Trump's request to give Musk a proper farewell culminated in a memorable press conference Friday from the Oval Office. Musk, a father of at least 12 kids, showed up to the event with a black eye, claiming he told his 5-year-old son, X, to punch him in the face while they were 'horsing around.' 'I didn't really feel much at the time, and then, I guess, it bruises up,' Musk said. 'That was X that did that?' Trump asked Musk. 'X could do it. If you knew X, he could do it.' Musk also dodged a reporter's question about a New York Times report claiming he consumed ketamine, ecstasy, psychedelic mushrooms, Adderall, and other substances while serving in the Trump administration. 'Let's move on,' Musk said Friday.
Daily Mail
2 days ago
- Business
- Daily Mail
Trump and 'first buddy' Elon Musk's bromance ends with wild 53-minute Oval Office farewell and a golden gift
Donald Trump 's 'bromance' with Elon Musk entered a new chapter with a peculiar presser where the world's richest man praised Trump's decorating while sporting a black eye – and Trump gave him a gold key without admitting he was going away. 'Elon is really not leaving. He's going to be back and forth, I think. I have a feeling. It's his baby, and I think he's going to be doing a lot of things,' Trump said. It was one of several times neither man quite wanted to pronounce that Musk was finally leaving – even though Musk had written publicly about the end of his 130-day term as a 'Special Government Employee' with the ear of the world's most powerful man. 'Can you imagine they called him an employee?' Trump mused about his 'first buddy's' vague bureaucratic status that allowed him to avoid massive disclosure filings. The president spoke wistfully at times about the South Africa-born billionaire, who accompanied him on the campaign trail and pumped money into his election only to become a fixture at Mar-a-Lago while riding herd over his controversial Department of Governmental Efficiency. 'We'll remember you as we announce billions of dollars of extra waste, fraud and abuse,' Trump said. At one point Trump presented Musk with a golden key. 'And they gave him a little special something we have here, a very special – that I give to very special people. I have given it to some, but it goes to very special people, and I thought I'd give it to Elon as a presentation from our country. Thank you, Elon. Take care of yourself,' Trump said. 'This is not the end of DOGE, it's really the beginning,' said Musk, sounding like a retiring exec – although he is returning to helm his Tesla and SpaceX companies. He reached for a religion metaphor to hail his team of young engineers, at an event where Trump repeatedly referred to the 'slings and arrows' and other abuse Musk endured. 'I liken it to a sort of Buddhism. It's like a way of life,' Musk said. It wasn't the only gold blazing inside the Oval Friday. Musk began his own remarks bizarrely praising the president's decorating skills. 'By the way, isn't this incredible – this incredible? I mean, it's stunning. I think the way that Oval Office – the President has just completely redone the Oval Office. It's beautiful. I love the gold on the ceiling,' said the spending slasher who drew pushback after taking a dig at Trump's 'big, beautiful bill' said. 'It's been there a long time,' Trump chimed in. 'There was plaster. Nobody ever really saw it. They didn't know the eagle was up there. We highlighted it's essentially, it's a landmark, a great landmark. It's 24 carat gold, and everybody loved it. Now they all see it when they come in. And it's been good,' he said of the gilded design. When it came for questions, Musk stood by his pledge to elimiate $1 trillion – although DOGE only currently lists $175 billion in cancelled contracts on its web site after scrubbing multiple claims about nixed spending. 'We do expect, over time, to achieve a trillion,' Musk said. Trump also embraced the expanded time frame – but said he'd keep Musk in his thoughts. 'Many of the things that we're working on right now, we're going to have to remember Elon as we find them, but the numbers could double and triple, because many, many things – we don't want to go out with them until we're for sure, but we've, we've found things that are unbelievably stupid and unbelievably bad,' Trump said. Standing inside the room for all of it was Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent, whose angry clash with Musk precipitated his departure. Also there was Katie Miller, the wife of top Trump aide Stephen Miller who is following Musk back to the private sector. Trump said cuts would be 'surgical', although Musk himself brandished a chain saw during his memorable sunglasses-wearing CPAC appearance. Unspoken through most of the event was a bombshell New York Times report claiming Musk regularly used drugs on the 2024 campaign trail. 'The New York Times? Is that the same publication that got a Pulitzer Prize for false reporting on the Russia-gate? Is it the same organization? I think it is,' said Musk – shielding himself by bringing up one of Trump's favorite obsessions. As he did in his State of the Union, Trump ran through a list of programs Musk's DOGE team identified as wasteful, bringing back a mention of transgender mice (it was actually an NIH study of sex differences in the brain). '$Forty-five million for Diversity Equity and Inclusion scholarships in Burma. In Burma, does anyone know about Burma?' Trump asked. There was little talk about the msasive disruption DOGE brought to government agencies, essentially dismantling U.S. international aid and slashing staff at agencies from the National Institutes of Health to the National Science Foundation and even the National Nuclear Security Administration (cuts that got quickly reversed). Was it worth it? 'We became essentially the DOGE boogeyman, where any cut anywhere would be ascribed to DOGE,' Musk replied. It wasn't until 42 minutes into the event that a reporter got the chance to ask the burning question about what was wrong with Musk's face. The world's richest man had already made reference to his 'shiner,' which was visible under his black ball cap as he wore a 'Dogefather' t-shirt and jacket. 'I was just horsting around with Little X, and I said, "Go ahead, punch me in the face. And he did,' Musk explained. 'That was X that did that?' Trump wanted to know. But the black eye sported by the man expecting to remain a 'friend and advisor' hadn't caught his attention, Trump claimed.
Sky News
3 days ago
- General
- Sky News
Musk appears with black eye at White House farewell - as Trump says he's 'not really leaving'
Donald Trump and Elon Musk have appeared together at the White House as the tech billionaire marks the end of his role in the Republican's administration. See below for updates as they happened.
Times of Oman
3 days ago
- Business
- Times of Oman
Trump to bid farewell to 'terrific' Elon Musk
Washington DC: US President Donald Trump is set to bid farewell to his billionaire adviser Elon Musk with a press event in the Oval Office later on Friday. "This will be his last day, but not really, because he will, always, be with us, helping all the way," Trump said in a post on his Truth Social media platform on Thursday. "Elon is terrific! See you tomorrow at the White House," Trump said. Musk has been heading up the Department of Government Efficiency or DOGE that has been behind the drastic federal workforce cuts. Over a month ago, Musk indicated that from May onwards, he would be spending "significantly" less time working as Trump's cost-cutter and focus on his e-car company Tesla, which has posted plunging sales figures. Musk claimed that DOGE had saved taxpayers $160 billion although the numbers have been questioned, with some suggesting that some savings had been double-counted. It hasn't been a smooth 130 days in Washington, with Elaine Kamarck of the Brookings Institution telling AFP news agency the beginning of the end "started (in) mid-March when there were several meetings in the Oval Office and in the cabinet room where basically Elon Musk got into fights." Musk publicly called Trump's trade adviser Peter Navarro "dumber than a sack of bricks." As indicated by Trump in his social media post, this doesn't appear to be the end of things. "I think they genuinely like each other and I think Musk has a lot of money that he can contribute to campaigns if he is so moved. I think there will be a continued relation," Kamarck told AFP.
