E-Paper
Donald Trump says 'no' to mending ties with Elon Musk, issues 'very serious' warning
Donald Trump told NBC News that Elon Musk was ‘disrespectful’ toward the president's office.
US President Donald Trump on Saturday warned Elon Musk of “serious consequences” if the tech billionaire goes on to finance Democratic candidates to run against Republicans who vote in favour of his tax cuts and spending bill.
“If he does, he’ll have to pay the consequences for that,” Trump told NBC News in a phone interview, though he did not elaborate on what those consequences might be.
“He’ll have to pay very serious consequences if he does that,” he added.
Trump also dismissed the idea of mending ties with Musk following their recent public feud.
Also Read | ‘A huge mistake’: JD Vance addresses the Musk-Trump feud; urges reconciliation
When asked if he hoped to repair the relationship, he replied, “No.” Asked if he considered their relationship finished, Trump said, “I would assume so, yeah.”
Trump accuses Musk of being disrespectful
In Saturday's interview, Donald Trump told NBC that Elon Musk was “disrespectful” toward the president's office.
“I think it’s a very bad thing, because he’s very disrespectful. You could not disrespect the office of the President,” he said.
On the question of whether he would speak with the Tesla CEO anytime soon, Trump told the American network that he is too busy doing other things.
Also Read | Is Elon Musk floating a new political party after Donald Trump feud? Tesla CEO reveals name
“I’m too busy doing other things,” he said, adding, “I have no intention of speaking to him.”
Trump’s remarks come days after a heated public dispute in which the president and the world’s richest man exchanged personal insults over a significant tax proposal that Musk contests.
Donald Trump vs Elon Musk
The exchange between Trump and Musk began on Thursday after the US President, in a televised Oval Office, said that he was "very disappointed" after his former aide and top donor criticised his "big, beautiful" spending bill before Congress.
“I’m very disappointed in Elon," Donald Trump said. “I’ve helped Elon a lot.”
Also Read | Donald Trump says he's not interested in talking to Elon Musk: ‘Lost his mind’
Musk shot back, and the two then traded insults over social media. The Tesla CEO, who was Trump's biggest campaign donor to the tune of $300 million, claimed the Republican would not have won the 2024 election without his support.
Musk also, without proof, claimed that Trump was mentioned in government documents on disgraced financier and sex offender Jeffrey Epstein. He later deleted his post.
