In a telephone interview with NBC News, Trump said, “I would assume so, yeah,” when asked if his relationship with Musk was ove
By Titilope Adako
Former US President Donald Trump on Saturday declared the end of his relationship with billionaire Elon Musk, warning of “serious consequences” if Musk funds Democratic candidates opposing Republicans who support Trump’s sweeping tax and spending bill.
In a telephone interview with NBC News, Trump said, “I would assume so, yeah,” when asked if his relationship with Musk was over.
When asked if he had any desire to repair the relationship, he replied, “No. I have no intention of speaking to him.”
Trump declined to specify what the “serious consequences” would be but said he had not had discussions about whether to investigate Musk.
He also stated that he had not considered terminating US government contracts with Musk’s companies, saying he had “not thought about” ending deals with Starlink or SpaceX.
Musk had earlier criticised Trump’s bill, calling it a “disgusting abomination.” His opposition complicated efforts to pass the legislation in Congress, where Republicans have only slim majorities in both the House and Senate.
Nonpartisan analysts estimate the bill would add $2.4 trillion to the $36.2 trillion US debt over 10 years, raising concerns among lawmakers, including Republican fiscal hawks.
Musk also said it was time for “a new political party in the United States to represent the 80 per cent in the middle!”
Trump expressed confidence that the bill would pass by the US Independence Day. “In fact, yeah, people that were, were going to vote for it are now enthusiastically going to vote for it, and we expect it to pass,” he told NBC.
Despite some Republican lawmakers voicing concerns in the media about Trump’s decisions, they have not opposed any of his policies or nominations since he began his second term on January 20.
Musk has since deleted some posts critical of Trump, including one responding to a user who wrote: “President vs Elon. Who wins? My money’s on Elon. Trump should be impeached and (Vice President) JD Vance should replace him.” Musk had replied, “yes.”
People close to Musk said his anger is beginning to subside, and they believe he may seek to mend ties with Trump.
Appearing on Theo Von’s “This Past Weekend” podcast, recorded on Thursday and released on Saturday, JD Vance said: “I’m always going to be loyal to the president, and I hope that eventually Elon kind of comes back into the fold. Maybe that’s not possible now because he’s gone so nuclear. But I hope it is.” He described Musk as an “incredible entrepreneur.”
Trump is expected to attend a UFC fight card in New Jersey on Saturday. Musk, who attended two previous events with Trump since the 2024 election, is not expected to be present this time.
Musk spent nearly $300 million during Trump’s 2024 re-election campaign and was credited with helping Republicans retain the House and regain the Senate.
Trump had also appointed Musk to lead efforts to shrink the federal workforce and slash spending through the Department of Government Efficiency. But Musk only managed to cut about half of one per cent of total federal expenditure, far short of his initial pledge to cut $2 trillion.
(Reuters/NAN)
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