(AFP) – Donald Trump and Elon Musk reignited their bitter feud Tuesday, with the US president threatening to deport the tech tycoon and strip federal funds from his businesses for criticizing Trump’s flagship spending bill. The world’s richest person was Trump’s biggest political donor in the 2024 election and became his inseparable ally during his first months back in the White House as head of the Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE).
But the SpaceX and Tesla boss is now threatening to turn his riches against Trump, mulling a rival political party to challenge Republican lawmakers who vote for Trump’s “One Big Beautiful Bill.” Trump, 78, reacted vengefully on Tuesday. “We’ll have to take a look,” he told reporters when asked if he would consider deporting Musk, who has held US citizenship since 2002.
In reply to a post on his X social network featuring Trump’s deportation comments, Musk replied on Tuesday: “So tempting to escalate this. So, so tempting. But I will refrain for now.” Trump also signaled that he could take aim at the huge contracts and subsidies that Musk’s SpaceX rocket and Starlink satellite internet businesses receive from the US government. “We might have to put DOGE on Elon. You know what DOGE is? DOGE is the monster that might have to go back and eat Elon,” Trump said.
Shares of Tesla sank more than six percent early Tuesday after Trump’s threat. Trump doubled down when he said he believed Musk was attacking his so-called “One Big Beautiful Bill” because he was annoyed that it had dropped measures to support the electric vehicles (EV) industry. “He’s losing his EV mandate. He’s very upset about things, but you know, he could lose a lot more than that, I can tell you right now. Elon can lose a lot more than that.”
Trump made similar comments on his Truth Social network late Monday, saying that “without subsidies, Elon would probably have to close up shop and head back home to South Africa.” “No more Rocket launches, Satellites, or Electric Car Production, and our Country would save a FORTUNE,” the president said. “Perhaps we should have DOGE take a good, hard look at this? BIG MONEY TO BE SAVED!!!”
The tycoon and the president shared a brief but intense bromance after Trump’s return to power in January. Wearing MAGA baseball hats, Musk was an almost constant presence at Trump’s side. Trump returned the favor by promoting Tesla electric vehicles when protesters targeted them for Musk’s cost-cutting drive at DOGE.
But they had a huge public blow-up in May as Musk criticized the spending bill and then left the government. He had kept a low profile in recent weeks but Musk returned to the fray in recent days as the bill began its difficult path through Congress. Musk has since posted a steady stream of posts against the bill on the X social network that he owns.
The billionaire’s criticisms center on claims that the bill would increase the US deficit. He also accuses Republicans of abandoning efforts to place the United States at the front of the EV and clean energy revolution. “All I’m asking is that we don’t bankrupt America,” he said on social media Tuesday, accusing Republicans of supporting “debt slavery.”
More worrying perhaps for Trump is the way that Musk is seeking to target vulnerable Republican lawmakers ahead of the 2026 US midterm elections. Musk has said he will set up his own political movement called the “America Party” if Trump’s bill passes. And he has pledged to fund challengers against lawmakers who campaigned on reduced federal spending only to vote for the bill. “VOX POPULI VOX DEI 80% voted for a new party,” he said after launching a poll on the idea on X.
– Danny KEMP
© 2024 AFP
