Former President Donald Trump has issued a stern warning to tech billionaire Elon Musk, cautioning him against financially supporting Democratic candidates in future elections. In an interview with NBC News, Trump said that any such move by Musk would lead to "very serious consequences," although he did not clarify what those consequences might be.
The rift between Trump and Musk has intensified in recent days, with Trump confirming he has no intention of repairing their fractured relationship. "No," he responded when asked if reconciliation was on the table. When pressed further, Trump added, "I would assume so, yeah," indicating he believes their relationship is effectively over.
The public fallout between the two high-profile figures escalated earlier this week through a series of online exchanges on X (formerly Twitter) and Truth Social. Musk had criticized a major Republican spending package recently passed by the House, prompting Trump to express disappointment and frustration.
"I'm very disappointed because Elon knew the inner workings of this bill," Trump said, claiming Musk had once supported it.
In response, Musk posted a series of critical messages online, including one that has since been deleted, which called for Trump’s impeachment and questioned the economic impact of his trade policies. Another deleted post referenced past connections between Trump and the late Jeffrey Epstein — a point Trump dismissed as "old news."
Trump took aim at Musk's behavior, accusing him of being disrespectful. "He’s very disrespectful to the office of the President," Trump said. "That’s a very bad thing."
The former president also floated the idea of cutting off federal contracts and subsidies to Musk’s companies, such as SpaceX, which have benefited significantly from government partnerships. "The easiest way to save money in our Budget — Billions and Billions of Dollars — is to terminate Elon’s Governmental Subsidies and Contracts," Trump wrote on Truth Social earlier this week. However, during his Saturday interview, he said he hadn’t seriously considered acting on that suggestion yet.
While conservative figures such as Steve Bannon have called for investigations into Musk’s business dealings and immigration history, Trump said those conversations are not currently a priority. “It’s not something that’s on top of my mind right now,” he noted.
Despite the controversy, Trump remains confident that the budget proposal — dubbed the “One Big Beautiful Bill Act” — will pass the Senate before the July 4 deadline. “The Republican Party has never been more united,” he stated, suggesting that the feud may have inadvertently drawn more attention to the bill's strengths.
Vice President JD Vance also weighed in on the situation in a recent podcast appearance. Speaking on This Past Weekend with Theo Von, Vance called Musk’s recent attacks “nuclear” and expressed doubt that the Tesla CEO could return to Trump’s political inner circle. “Maybe that’s not possible now because he’s gone so nuclear,” Vance said, though he added that he hopes reconciliation is still possible.
Vance also noted that while business leaders like Musk often become frustrated with Washington’s bureaucracy, it was a “huge mistake” to publicly turn on Trump over legislative disagreements.
“Elon’s frustration is understandable, but going after the president like this just wasn’t the right move,” Vance added.
Musk had previously been one of Trump’s biggest financial backers during the 2024 campaign, contributing hundreds of millions of dollars to support efforts in swing states. He was later appointed to head the Department of Government Efficiency, where he oversaw massive layoffs and structural changes across various federal agencies.
Now, their partnership appears to be unraveling in real time — a high-stakes feud with implications not only for politics, but for the future of U.S. tech policy and federal spending.
0 Comments