US President Donald Trump has said he has no interest in repairing relations with Elon Musk and warned that his former ally and campaign donor could face “serious consequences” if he decides to support Democrats in the upcoming election.
In a telephone interview with NBC's Kristen Welker, Mr. Trump said he had no plans to reconcile with tech entrepreneur Mr. Musk.
Asked whether he thought his relationship with the billionaire CEO of Tesla and SpaceX was over, Mr Trump replied: “I would assume so, yes.”
“I'm too busy with other things,” Mr. Trump added.
“You know, I won the election in a landslide. I gave him (Mr. Musk) a lot of privileges long before that, I supported him in my first administration and saved his life in my first administration, I have no intention of talking to him.”
The US president also issued a warning amid speculation that Mr Musk could endorse Democratic lawmakers and candidates in the 2026 midterm elections.
“If he does this, he will have to face the consequences,” Mr. Trump told NBC, though he declined to specify what those consequences would be. Mr. Musk’s businesses have many lucrative federal contracts.
The US president's latest comments suggest Mr Musk is moving from being a close ally to a potential new target for Mr Trump, who has been aggressively using his powers to crack down on critics and punish perceived foes.
As a major government contractor, Mr. Musk’s business could be particularly vulnerable to retaliation. Mr. Trump has already threatened to cancel contracts with Mr. Musk, saying it was an easy way to save money.
The dramatic rift between the president and the world's richest man began this week with Mr Musk's public criticism of Mr Trump's “big, beautiful bill” pending in Congress.
Mr Musk warned the bill would increase the federal budget deficit and called it a “disgusting abomination”.
Mr Trump criticised Mr Musk in the Oval Office and the two soon began trading sharp personal attacks on social media, leaving the White House and Republican leaders in Congress scrambling to assess the fallout.
As the conflict escalated, Mr Musk proposed impeaching Mr Trump and made unsubstantiated claims that the government was covering up information about the president's ties to notorious paedophile Jeffrey Epstein.
Sourse: breakingnews.ie
