Latest news with #politicaldispute
Daily Mail
4 days ago
- Politics
- Daily Mail
EXCLUSIVE Republicans weigh in on whether Trump and Musk should make peace after talks called OFF
Elon Musk and Donald Trump should reconcile their differences Republican lawmakers told the Daily Mail. The two most powerful men in the world engaged in a historic blowup over differences about Trump's signature 'big beautiful bill.' It quickly turned ugly as Musk hurled insults at the president and Trump fired back on social media. Trump said earlier Friday that the two 'won't be speaking' for a while as a result of the back-and-forth falling out. 'I'm not even thinking about Elon,' Trump told CNN. 'He's got a problem. The poor guy's got a problem.' But GOP lawmakers are hopeful that the pair can patch up their differences in the coming days. Speaker Mike Johnson, who has been in the middle of the spat over the Big Beautiful Bill Act, said Friday he hopes Trump and Musk 'reconcile.' 'I believe in redemption,' Johnson said. 'That's part of my worldview, and I think it's good for the party and the country if all that's worked out.' The speaker appeared to downplay the spat on Thursday, saying that differences over policy are never personal despite Musk's below-the-belt claim that Trump has ties to pedophile Jeffrey Epstein. Musk even went so far as to suggest the president should be impeached and replaced with JD Vance for wanting to sending the U.S. into 'debt slavery.' As tensions flared between the two leaders, Republicans in Congress appeared like children caught in a fight between their parents. Speaker Mike Johnson has said that the dispute over policy is not personal despite Musk calling for Trump to be impeached and insinuating he has nefarious links to the late pedophile Jeffrey Epstein 'I think they should reconcile,' Rep. Mike McCaul, R-Texas, told the Daily Mail. 'After all, they said they loved each other, so I think it's time for reconciliation for them.' 'My intel that I have is that they are going to reconcile today,' he disclosed. Many GOP lawmakers said the same, hoping for the two to iron out their differences. 'I hope they make up,' Rep. Kat Cammack, R-Fla., told the Daily Mail of the Musk-Trump divide. Rep. Kevin Hern, R-Okla., who sits on House GOP leadership, told the Daily Mail the attacks aren't new. 'It's not something that, you know, we haven't seen before,' he said of the feud, adding Musk's attacks 'are all falsehoods and for political show.' Firebrand Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene, R-Ga., told the Daily Mail that it's up to Trump to decide whether he wants to make amends with the businessman. 'I don't get involved with things that involve him,' she said not wanting to instruct the president on how to react. 'They should reconcile,' Rep. Tom Tiffany, R-Wis., shared. 'I think its a great idea.' A member of the conservative House Freedom Caucus that often acts as a thorn in the side of GOP leadership, Tiffany bragged that the saga is evidence of a normal policy debate. 'I think the good robust debate is a good thing,' he added, noting that with the pace of the tweets sent out by Musk the pair could make up at any moment. Mark Bednar, a former senior staffer for Speaker Kevin McCarthy and Principal at Monument Advocacy, told the Daily Mail that the turbulence between Musk and the president amounts to 'just another week' of being a Republican in Washington. 'It also remains true that if and when Republicans are together, they can rack up massive legislative wins for the American people, and when they are apart it's the Democrats who benefit.' Trump, for his part, is not eager to talk to his former DOGE lieutenant. Speaking with ABC News on Friday morning, the president admitted he was 'not particularly' interested in speaking with the billionaire. The president referred to Musk as 'the man who has lost his mind,' saying that the Tesla owner wants to speak with him but he does not have interest in speaking.
News.com.au
4 days ago
- Automotive
- News.com.au
Trump has no plans to call Musk, White House says after feud
The White House squashed speculation that Donald Trump and Elon Musk would patch up their stunning public feud, saying the US president had no plans to call his billionaire former aide Friday. Trump lobbed fresh insults at the South African-born Musk a day after the fiery implosion of their unlikely political marriage, saying the tech tycoon had "lost his mind." In a telling symbol of how their relationship had deteriorated, the president was even considering selling or giving away a Tesla he had bought to show support for Musk amid protests against the company. The row exploded on Thursday when Trump said he was "very disappointed" by Musk and threatened to end his government contracts, after his ex-aide criticized the president's flagship budget bill as an "abomination." Reports had emerged that Musk and Trump would speak by phone on Friday in a bid to patch up the damaging public row, but the White House scotched such speculation. "The president does not intend to speak to Musk today," a senior White House official told AFP on condition of anonymity when asked if the feuding pair planned to speak. Trump told broadcaster ABC in a phone call earlier Friday that he was "not particularly interested" in talking to Musk. "You mean the man who has lost his mind?" ABC quoted Trump as saying. Trump, who once called Musk a "genius", branded him "crazy" on social media on Thursday. - Fallout - The row could have major political and economic fallout, as shares in Musk's Tesla car company seesaw and the SpaceX boss vowed that he would end a critical US spaceship program. The White House called a special meeting on Thursday to discuss how to handle the crisis with Musk, a government source told AFP on condition of anonymity. Trump meanwhile may ditch the red Tesla that he bought from Musk's firm at the height of their relationship. The electric vehicle was still parked on the White House grounds on Friday. "He's thinking about it, yes," the senior White House official told AFP when asked if Trump would sell or give away the Tesla. Trump and Musk had posed inside the car at a bizarre event in March, when the US president turned the White House into a pop-up Tesla showroom after protests against Musk's government role tanked the firm shares. Speculation had long swirled that a relationship between two big egos like the president and the tycoon could not last long -- but the speed of the meltdown took Washington by surprise. Trump said in a televised Oval Office diatribe on Thursday that he was "very disappointed" after his former top donor criticized his "big, beautiful" spending bill before Congress. The pair then hurled insults at each other on social media -- with Musk even posting, without proof, that Trump was referenced in government documents on disgraced financier and sex offender Jeffrey Epstein.
Arab News
4 days ago
- Automotive
- Arab News
Trump has no plans to call Musk, White House says after feud
WASHINGTON: The White House squashed speculation that Donald Trump and Elon Musk would patch up their stunning public feud, saying the US president had no plans to call his billionaire former aide Friday. Trump lobbed fresh insults at the South African-born Musk a day after the fiery implosion of their unlikely political marriage, saying the tech tycoon had 'lost his mind.' In a telling symbol of how their relationship had deteriorated, the president was even considering selling or giving away a Tesla he had bought to show support for Musk amid protests against the company. The row exploded on Thursday when Trump said he was 'very disappointed' by Musk and threatened to end his government contracts, after his ex-aide criticized the president's flagship budget bill as an 'abomination.' Reports had emerged that Musk and Trump would speak by phone on Friday in a bid to patch up the damaging public row, but the White House scotched such speculation. 'The president does not intend to speak to Musk today,' a senior White House official told AFP on condition of anonymity when asked if the feuding pair planned to speak. Trump told broadcaster ABC in a phone call earlier Friday that he was 'not particularly interested' in talking to Musk. 'You mean the man who has lost his mind?' ABC quoted Trump as saying. Trump, who once called Musk a 'genius,' branded him 'crazy' on social media on Thursday. The row could have major political and economic fallout, as shares in Musk's Tesla car company seesaw and the SpaceX boss vowed that he would end a critical US spaceship program. The White House called a special meeting on Thursday to discuss how to handle the crisis with Musk, a government source told AFP on condition of anonymity. Trump meanwhile may ditch the red Tesla that he bought from Musk's firm at the height of their relationship. The electric vehicle was still parked on the White House grounds on Friday. 'He's thinking about it, yes,' the senior White House official told AFP when asked if Trump would sell or give away the Tesla. Trump and Musk had posed inside the car at a bizarre event in March, when the US president turned the White House into a pop-up Tesla showroom after protests against Musk's government role tanked the firm shares. Speculation had long swirled that a relationship between two big egos like the president and the tycoon could not last long — but the speed of the meltdown took Washington by surprise. Trump said in a televised Oval Office diatribe on Thursday that he was 'very disappointed' after his former top donor criticized his 'big, beautiful' spending bill before Congress. The pair then hurled insults at each other on social media — with Musk even posting, without proof, that Trump was referenced in government documents on disgraced financier and sex offender Jeffrey Epstein.
New York Times
5 days ago
- Business
- New York Times
Trump's Alliance With Musk Shattered
Over the last year, President Trump and Elon Musk have been among the world's most powerful allies. Together, they worked to return Trump to the White House and radically reshape the federal government. Less than a week ago, they sang each other's praises. Then, today, over the course of just a few hours, the alliance between Trump and Musk dissolved into open acrimony. The two men hurled personal attacks at each other over matters both significant and petty. Even by the Trump administration's standards, it was a remarkable moment. The dispute ostensibly centered on the president's signature domestic policy bill, which Musk has attacked as a 'disgusting abomination,' but the mudslinging quickly escalated. During a White House meeting with Germany's leader, Friedrich Merz, Trump criticized Musk: 'I'm very disappointed in Elon,' the president said. 'I've helped Elon a lot.' Musk shot back at Trump: 'Without me, Trump would have lost the election,' he wrote on X. 'Such ingratitude.' In follow-up posts, Musk suggested that he would leave the Republican Party, accused Trump of involvement with convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein and backed a call for the president's impeachment. Trump then threatened to cut billions of dollars in federal contracts and tax subsidies for Musk's companies. 'Elon was 'wearing thin,' I asked him to leave,' Trump wrote on social media. Stock in Tesla, Musk's car company, plummeted. 'When exactly President Trump and Elon Musk would break up has been a parlor game for months — even in their own inner circles,' our political reporter Theodore Schleifer said. 'But even so, the dissembling that we saw today was swifter than any of them imagined.' Want all of The Times? Subscribe.
Yahoo
22-05-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
Coalition collapse turns ugly over 'cabinet solidarity'
The Liberal and National parties are locked in an increasingly bitter dispute over why their political marriage fell apart. The estranged coalition partners have accused one another of making false claims about the reasons behind the split. The Nationals allege the break up occurred because they could not secure commitments on key policies. The Liberals claim the conservative relationship collapsed due to a disagreement over shadow cabinet solidarity, which binds members to publicly support collective decisions, even if they disagree internally. After several days of internal squabbling, this dispute flared again on Thursday following a dramatic intervention from the Nationals leader. David Littleproud claimed cabinet solidarity was never up for debate. "I thought it was fair and reasonable," he told reporters at Parliament House. "I made it very clear I had no issue with it ... there was no discussion about it." Mr Littleproud said his negotiations with Liberal leader Sussan Ley centred on four non-negotiable policies. These included support for nuclear energy, break-up powers for supermarkets, a regional Australia future fund and reliable telco coverage in rural areas. Through a spokesman, Ms Ley rejected the Nationals' assertions regarding cabinet solidarity. "We have in writing that it was a requirement from their leader's office to ours." Former prime minister Tony Abbott said the political divorce was understandable, but regrettable. "Let's get over the electoral PTSD and let's get back together again as quickly as possible," he told Sydney radio 2GB. "If the Libs and the Nats go their separate ways, we won't have one strong opposition - we'll have two opposition parties that are fighting each other as much as they're fighting a bad government." Statement regarding our decision not to enter into a Coalition Agreement with the Liberal Party. — David Littleproud MP (@D_LittleproudMP) May 20, 2025 The man who led the Nationals during the party's last divorce from the Liberals believes the coalition partners will eventually reunite. Ian Sinclair was leader of the Nationals during the coalition's five-month split in 1987. He is confident the latest trial separation will not last forever, saying a split after an election wasn't unusual and issues would eventually be resolved. "It has happened before and will happen again," Mr Sinclair told AAP. "It's quite a healthy thing."
