- AFP
- 7 Hours ago
Musk to face ‘very serious consequences’ if he funds Democrats: Trump
BEDMINSTER: US President Donald Trump said on Saturday there would be “serious consequences” if Elon Musk funds US Democrats running against Republicans who vote for the president’s sweeping tax-cut and spending bill and said his relationship with his billionaire donor is over.
In a telephone interview with NBC News, Trump declined to say what those consequences would be, and went on to add that he had not had discussions about whether to investigate Musk.
Asked if he thought his relationship with the Tesla and SpaceX CEO was over, Trump said, “I would assume so, yeah.”
“No,” Trump told NBC when asked if he had any desire to repair his relationship with Musk.
THE SLIDE
Musk and Trump began exchanging insults this week, as Musk denounced Trump’s bill as a “disgusting abomination.” Musk’s opposition to the measure is complicating efforts to pass the bill in Congress, where Republicans hold a slim majority in the House of Representatives and Senate.
The bill narrowly passed the House last month and is now before the Senate, where Trump’s fellow Republicans are considering making changes. Nonpartisan analysts estimate the measure would add $2.4 trillion to the US debt over 10 years.
Read more: From bros to foes: how the Trump-Musk relationship imploded
Trump said on Saturday he is confident the bill would get passed by the US July 4 Independence Day holiday.
“In fact, yeah, people that were, were going to vote for it are now enthusiastically going to vote for it, and we expect it to pass,” Trump told NBC.
Musk had deleted some social media posts critical of Trump, including one that signalled support for impeaching the president, appearing to seek a de-escalation of their public feud, which exploded on Thursday.
Trump late on Friday suggested a review of federal government contracts held by Musk. People who have spoken to Musk said his anger has begun to recede and they think he will want to repair his relationship with Trump.
NOT INTERESTED
On Friday, Trump had rubbished the reports of a planned phone call to Musk, as he told reporters that he was looking past the row.
He called Musk “the man who has lost his mind” in a call to ABC and told CBS he was “totally” focused on the presidency.
Reports also emerged that Trump is considering selling or giving away the red Tesla that he purchased earlier this year.
NEW POLITICAL PARTY
Earlier, Musk in a post on X boosted that the time had come to create a new political party – an obvious challenge to Trump.
“The people have spoken. A new political party is needed in America to represent the 80 per cent in the middle!”
“And exactly 80 per cent of people agree,” he said to express his joy over the results of an X poll. “This is fate”, he remarked.
It is not yet clear whether Musk wants a foray into politics, after he used X – his social media platform – to promote the far-right ideas and forces.
He has faced severe criticism after openly supporting the far-right AfD in Germany’s election and promoting the same forces in the UK.
That is why Musk is facing an EU investigation into the policies of X, which is considered to be promoting hate speech and white nationalism.
You May Also Like
