Trump: Musk has actually ‘lost his mind’ amid fight
WASHINGTON, D.C.– US President Donald Trump said Friday that Elon Musk had ‘lost his mind’ but insisted he wished to proceed from the intense split with his billionaire former ally. The blistering public separation between the world’s wealthiest person and the world’s most effective is packed with political and economic threats all round. Trump had scrapped the idea of a call with Musk and was even thinking of dropping the red Tesla he bought at the height of their bromance, White House authorities told AFP.
‘Honestly I have been so busy dealing with China, working on Russia, dealing with Iran … I’m not considering Elon Musk; I simply wish him well,’ Trump informed reporters aboard Air Force One en route to his New Jersey golf club late Friday. Earlier, Trump told US broadcasters that he now wished to focus instead on passing his ‘huge, beautiful’ mega-bill before Congress– Musk’s harsh criticism of which had sparked their breakup. But the 78-year-old Republican could not stop himself from taking aim at his South African-born friend-turned-enemy.
‘You mean the man who has lost his mind?’ Trump stated in a call with ABC when asked about Musk, adding that he was ‘not particularly’ interested in talking to the tycoon. Trump later told Fox News that Musk had ‘lost it.’ Just a week ago, Trump gave Musk a glowing send-off as he left his cost-cutting role at the so-called Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) after 4 months working there.
‘Very disappointed’ While there had been reports of tensions, the sheer speed at which their relationship imploded stunned Washington. After Musk called Trump’s spending bill an ‘abomination’ on Tuesday, Trump countered in an Oval Office diatribe on Thursday in which he said he was ‘extremely disappointed’ by the entrepreneur. Trump’s bill faces a tough course through Congress as it will raise the United States deficit, while critics say it will cut healthcare for millions of the poorest Americans. The row then went nuclear, with Musk slinging insults at Trump and accusing him without evidence of being in government files on disgraced financier and sex offender Jeffrey Epstein.
Trump hit back with the power of the United States government behind him, saying he could cancel the SpaceX boss’ multi-billion-dollar rocket and satellite contracts. Trump struck a milder tone late Friday when asked how seriously he is considering cutting Musk’s contracts. ‘It’s a lot of money, it’s a lot of subsidy, so we’ll have a look– only if it’s fair. Only if it’s to be fair for him and the country,’ he said.
Musk apparently also tried to de-escalate social media hostilities. The conservative tech baron rowed back on a threat to ditch his company’s Dragon spacecraft– essential for shuttling NASA astronauts to and from the International Space Station. And on Friday, the usually garrulous poster kept a low social media profile on his X social network. But the White House rejected reports that they would talk. ‘The president does not intend to talk to Musk today,’ a senior White House official told AFP. A second official said Musk had requested a call.
Tesla giveaway? Tesla stocks tanked more than 14 percent on Thursday amid the row, losing some $100 billion of the company’s market value, but recovering partly on Friday. Trump is now considering either selling or giving away the cherry red Tesla S that he announced he had bought from Musk’s company in March. The electric car was still parked on the White House grounds on Friday. ‘He’s thinking about it, yes,’ a senior White House official told AFP when asked if Trump would sell or give it away. Trump and Musk had posed inside the vehicle at a bizarre event in March, when the president turned the White House into a pop-up Tesla showroom after viral protests against Musk’s DOGE role.
While Trump appeared to hold many of the cards, Musk also has some to play. His wealth allowed him to be the biggest donor to Trump’s 2024 campaign, to the tune of nearly $300 million. Any further support for the 2026 midterm election now seems in doubt– while Musk could also use his money to undermine Trump’s support on the.
WASHINGTON, D.C.– United States President Donald Trump said Friday that Elon Musk had ‘lost his mind’ but insisted he wanted to move on from the fiery split with his billionaire former ally. Trump had ditched the idea of a call with Musk and was even thinking of dumping the red Tesla he bought at the height of their bromance, White House authorities told AFP. Trump said in a call with ABC when asked about Musk, adding that he was ‘not particularly’ interested in talking to the tycoon. After Musk called Trump’s spending bill an ‘abomination’ on Tuesday, Trump struck back in an Oval Office diatribe on Thursday in which he said he was ‘very disappointed’ by the entrepreneur. Trump and Musk had posed inside the vehicle at a bizarre event in March, when the president turned the White House into a pop-up Tesla showroom after viral protests against Musk’s DOGE role.
