US President Donald Trump has said he has no intention of rebuilding ties with Elon Musk and warned that his former ally and campaign financier could face “serious consequences” if he decides to support Democrats in future elections.
In a phone call with NBC's Kristen Welker, Mr. Trump said he had no intention of mending fences with tech entrepreneur Mr. Musk.
When asked if he thought his ties with the billionaire CEO of Tesla and SpaceX were over, Mr Trump replied: “I would assume so, yes.”
“I'm too busy with other issues,” Mr. Trump added.
“You know, I won the election in a landslide. I gave him (Mr. Musk) a lot of perks long before that, I did it in my first administration and I helped him, I'm not going to talk to him.”
The US President also sounded a warning amid speculation that Mr Musk could support Democrats and their candidates in the 2026 midterm elections.
“If he does this, he’s going to pay the consequences,” Mr. Trump told NBC, though he did not specify what that would be. Mr. Musk’s businesses have a host of lucrative federal contracts.
The president's latest comments suggest Mr. Musk is emerging from a close ally as a potential new target for Mr. Trump, who has aggressively used his powers to crack down on critics and punish perceived enemies.
As a major government contractor, Mr. Musk’s business could be particularly vulnerable to retaliation. Mr. Trump has already said he might cancel Mr. Musk’s contracts, calling it an easy way to save resources.
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, wonderful bill” being considered on Capitol Hill.
Mr Musk warned the bill would increase the federal 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 infamous paedophile Jeffrey Epstein.
Sourse: breakingnews.ie
