TMTPOST -- The feud between U.S. President Donald Trump and his billionaire backer Elon Musk is simmering, though not as bitter as it was exposed on the social media platforms.
Credit：Xinhua News Agency
In a phone interview with ABC News Friday morning, Trump said he was "not particularly" interested in talking to Musk right now, and called the Tesla leader “the man who has lost his mind.” He said Musk wants to talk to him, but he's not ready to talk to Musk.
On Friday evening, Trump dismissed the plan to speak to Musk. "No, I don't have any plans," Trump said on the Air Force One, when asked whether he intended to contact his former advise. Trump appeared to be unconcerned about his clash with Musk. "I’m not thinking about Elon. You know, I just wish him well," Trump responded to a query about his view of Musk. The president added that he’s not really interested in efforts to reconcile with Musk.
Politico reported Thursday that White House aides scheduled a call Friday between Trump and Musk to broker a peace. But Trump’s chief of staff Susie Wiles on Friday said “there are no plans for that today.” NBC News cited a senior White House official that Trump is “not interested in Elon call", and stating a Trump official added “there are no calls on the books, at least not now.”
White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt said of Trump“ is focused on the OBBB," referring to the Republican bill containing much of Trump's policy agenda. "That’s the mindset he left the Oval Office in yesterday.”
Trump told reporters on the Air Force One that the administration will “take a look at” whether to cut off Musk’s government contracts. Asked about how seriously he was considering ending some of Musk’s contracts, Trump replied: “We’ll take a look at everything. I look at everything. He’s got a lot of money. He gets a lot of subsidy. So we’ll take a look at that. Only if it’s fair. Only if it’s fair for him and for the country. I would certainly think about it, but it has to be fair.”
Reports earlier Friday said Trump is considering selling or giving away the red Tesla Model S he got in March. When asked if he will sell the Tesla, Trump replied: ”I haven’t thought about it. I hope he does well with Tesla.” Questioned by if he will reopen investigations into Elon’s companies, Trump said: “I didn’t know that they had any. I would just let them speak for themselves. I have no idea whether or not they have investigations.”
Musk on Friday wished Trump well in a post on X late Friday. He also responded "Fair enough" to a video in which Mr. Trump said he will "take a look at" cutting off some of the government contracts.
Trump said on Thursday that he was “very disappointed” in Musk and was “very surprised” about the tech mogul’s public bashing the Republican tax-and-spending “Big Beautiful Bill”, which was attacked by him as an “abomination” earlier this week. Musk only opposes the bill because they eliminated electric vehicle tax credits from it, according to Trump.
Trump claimed Musk had known the tax-policy bill very well but suddenly launched campaign against the bill. "Elon knew the inner workings of this bill better than almost anybody sitting here," said the president. "All of a sudden, he had a problem, and he only developed the problem when he found out that we're going to have to cut the EV mandate."
Musk quickly rejected Trump’s claim Thursday on his social media X. "Whatever," he replied in a post. "Keep the EV/solar incentive cuts in the bill, even though no oil & gas subsidies are touched (very unfair!!), but ditch the MOUNTAIN of DISGUSTING PORK in the bill. In the entire history of civilization, there has never been legislation that both big and beautiful. Everyone knows this!" "Either you get a big and ugly bill or a slim and beautiful bill," he continued.
In a separate post responding to Trump’s remarks that Musk is very familiar with the bill’s details, the Tesla CEO said:"False, this bill was never shown to me even once and was passed in the dead of night so fast that almost no one in Congress could even read it!"
Musk also took credit for Trump’s victory in the presidential election last year. "Without me, Trump would have lost the election, Dems would control the House and the Republicans would be 51-49 in the Senate," Musk wrote, adding "Such ingratitude."
Trump then fired back at Musk on his social media platform Truth Social, stating Musk "went crazy." Trump also threatened to end Musk’s government contracts. “The easiest way to save money in our Budget, Billions and Billions of Dollars, is to terminate Elon’s Governmental Subsidies and Contracts. I was always surprised that Biden didn’t do it!” said the president.
Musk hit with a claiming on X that Trump "in the Epstein files," adding that “that is the real reason they have not been made public.” He also said his company SpaceX will “immediately” begin decommissioning its Dragon spacecraft in light of Trump’s threat. Hours later, Musk said he will no decommisson Dragon, after a X user urged him to cool off and take a step back for a couple days.
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