Trump Says He’s Not Talking to Musk as Their Feud Over Tax Bill Grows
U.S. President Donald Trump is not planning to talk to Elon Musk anytime soon, a White House official said on Friday. This shows that the fight between the two former allies over a major tax-cut bill is not ending soon.
The official, who asked not to be named, said no phone call between Trump and Musk was planned. Earlier in the day, another official had said the two might speak.
When asked by reporters, Trump said he had other things to focus on. “I’m not even thinking about Elon. He’s got a problem, the poor guy’s got a problem,” Trump told CNN.
Trump may also get rid of the red Tesla Model S he bought in March after showing off Musk’s electric cars on the White House lawn.
This all comes a day after Trump and Musk argued in public, showing just how much their friendship has fallen apart. Trump even said he might cancel government contracts with Musk’s companies, like SpaceX and Starlink.
Even though Tesla shares dropped 14% on Thursday—losing $150 billion in value—they rose a bit on Friday. It was the biggest one-day loss in Tesla’s history.
Many of Musk’s supporters have stayed quiet during the feud. But investor James Fishback said Musk should say sorry. “President Trump has shown grace and patience at a time when Elon’s behavior is disappointing and frankly downright disturbing,” Fishback said.
Musk, the world’s richest person, helped pay for Trump’s 2024 campaign. Trump even picked Musk to lead a plan to cut government spending and reduce the number of federal workers.
The fight began earlier this week after Musk quit his job as head of the Department of Government Efficiency. He later criticized Trump’s new tax and spending bill, calling it a “disgusting abomination” that would add too much debt.
Trump’s bill passed in the House last month and is now in the Senate. Experts say it could add $2.4 trillion to the national debt over 10 years. Musk’s opposition is making it harder for Republicans to get the bill through, especially since they only have a small majority.
Trump finally spoke out on Thursday, saying he was “very disappointed” in Musk. “We had a great relationship. I don’t know if we will anymore,” he said.
Then, both men posted harsh messages online—Trump on Truth Social, Musk on X (formerly Twitter). Musk wrote, “Without me, Trump would have lost the election,” and agreed with a post saying Trump should be impeached, even though that’s unlikely since Republicans control Congress.
Trump also said he might end Musk’s government contracts. Musk responded by saying he’d start shutting down SpaceX’s Dragon spacecraft, which is the only American craft that can take astronauts to space. Later, he changed his mind.
Still, there may be hope for peace. Musk replied “You’re not wrong” to a post suggesting they should make up.
If the feud continues, it could hurt Republicans in next year’s midterm elections. Musk has already said he plans to spend less on politics and called for voters to fire “all politicians who betrayed the American people.”
Some Tesla customers are also unhappy with Musk’s political ties, and investors worry he’s not focused enough on the company.
