Latest news with #politicalfallout
Al Arabiya
4 days ago
- Politics
- Al Arabiya
Trump vs Musk feud explodes; Israel bombs southern Beirut on eve of Eid
In this episode of W News, presented by Leigh-Ann Gerrans, sparks fly as Donald Trump and Elon Musk's once-powerful alliance disintegrates in a public war of words. We hear from Errol Musk in an exclusive interview and dive into the political fallout with Republican strategist Adolfo Franco and journalist Freddy Gray. As Trump accuses Musk of "ingratitude" and Musk fires back with explosive claims, we unpack the implications for the Republican Party, US markets, and SpaceX's future. Meanwhile, correspondent Carina Kamel tracks the financial shockwaves from London. In our second story, we go to the Middle East, where Israel strikes southern Beirut on the eve of Eid, targeting what it calls a Hezbollah drone facility. Trent Murray joins us live from Tel Aviv, while former US envoy Ellie Cohanim weighs in on the Gaza humanitarian crisis and Netanyahu's latest political moves. And finally, the long-running Madeleine McCann investigation reaches a dramatic close, with reporting from Nick Pisa in Praia da Luz. Guests: Adolfo Franco – Republican Strategist Carina Kamel – Correspondent in London Trent Murray – Correspondent in Tel Aviv Nick Pisa – Senior Global Reporter, MailOnline
Daily Mail
4 days ago
- Business
- Daily Mail
JD Vance breaks silence on Trump and Musk drama with subtle jab
JD Vance appeared to subtly address the drama between Donald Trump and Elon Musk amid the pair's fallout. Vance shared the picture with the stand-up comic alongside a cryptic jab, hinting at the president's bromance drama that reached new heights on Thursday. The vice president jokingly said: 'Slow news day, what are we even going to talk about?' His lighthearted post was the first time Vance has spoken out about the very public fallout between the once close political allies. Theo Von responded to the tongue in cheek post with, 'We will think of somethin,' while Musk himself reacted with a laughing crying emoji. The hot topic spat between the President and former First Buddy, who maintained a close working relationship for around a year, has stirred the internet. Comments under Vance's post had many curious where loyalties lie, and who would be next on the political chopping block. 'I won't be surprised if @realDonaldTrump sacks Vance for his close association with @elonmusk,' one user said. 'If JD doesn't show loyalty to Trump and rebuke Elon right now he will never be president,' one declared. Another put it simply and answered: 'The demise of your presidential throuple.' The political pair's slinging match kicked off following Musk's criticisms of the Trump administration as the billionaire went after Trump's 'big, beautiful bill' and argued that the spending wiped out DOGE's cost-cutting efforts. Musk wrote: 'I'm sorry, but I just can't stand it anymore. This massive, outrageous, pork-filled Congressional spending bill is a disgusting abomination.' 'Shame on those who voted for it: you know you did wrong. You know it.' Musk has also posted on X to claim that the president is plunging the US into financial ruin. He wrote: 'This immense level of overspending will drive America into debt slavery!' Then, on Thursday, when Trump was supposed to be hosting the new German Chancellor Friedrich Merz in the Oval Office, he was asked about Musk's recent criticism. 'Elon and I had a great relationship. I don't know if we will any more, I was surprised,' Trump told reporters. The president suggested that Musk was angry - not over the bill ballooning the deficit - but because the Trump administration has pulled back on electric vehicle mandates, which negatively impacted Tesla, and replaced the Musk-approved nominee to lead NASA, which could hinder SpaceX's government contracts. 'And you know, Elon's upset because we took the EV mandate, which was a lot of money for electric vehicles, and they're having a hard time the electric vehicles and they want us to pay billions of dollars in subsidy,' Trump said. 'I know that disturbed him.' The spat quickly turned personal with Musk then posting that Trump would have lost the 2024 election had it not been for the world's richest man - him. But Trump claimed, 'I would have won Pennsylvania, I would have won by a lot.' Musk said that was laughable. 'Without me, Trump would have lost the election, Dems would control the House and the Republicans would be 51-49 in the Senate,' Musk claimed. 'Such ingratitude,' the billionaire added. The 53-year-old Musk also asserted he had more staying power than the 78-year-old president. After his meeting with Merz, Trump continued to throw punches online. Trump asserted that he had asked Musk to leave his administration and said the billionaire went 'crazy!' 'Elon was "wearing thin," I asked him to leave, 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 wrote. The president then threatened to pull SpaceX and Tesla's government contracts. 'The easiest way to save money in our Budget, Billions and Billions of Dollars, is to terminate Elon's Governmental Subsidies and Contracts. I was always surprised that Biden didn't do it!' Trump wrote. As the fight continued, Tesla shares plummeted. Rapper Kanye West even got involved. 'Broooos please noooooo. We love you both so much,' West wrote. And Musk threw the Epstein bomb. '@RealDonaldTrump is in the Epstein files. That is the real reason they have not been made public,' Musk wrote. 'Have a nice day, DJT!' Jeffrey Epstein is a serial child sex offender who died in prison in 2019. Trump pledged to release the files related to Epstein, with Attorney General Pam Bondi releasing some pages in February, but most of that information was already in the public domain. 'Mark this post for the future. The truth will come out,' Musk added. The White House did not immediately respond to the Daily Mail's request for comment. Trump didn't directly respond to Musk's Epstein charge, instead posting what amounted to a shrug on Truth Social, while also continuing to back the 'big, beautiful bill.' 'I don't mind Elon turning against me, but he should have done so months ago,' Trump wrote. 'This is one of the Greatest Bills ever presented to Congress.' It was less than a week ago that Trump gave Musk a golden key and a DOGE send-off from the Oval Office.
