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President Donald Trump and Tesla (Tsla-3.33%) The CEO, Elon Musk, torn himself on Thursday, while their near alliance collapsed in front of the cameras and on social networks.
The billionaire rupture that is played this week includes a bit of everything: the 2024 elections, lucrative federal contracts, the republican agenda, the recent musk eye and the sexual offender condemned Jeffrey Epstein. The Rift threatens the GOP access to the deep pockets of a rich donor who passed large in his name in the last electoral cycle.
For two days, Trump prevented publicly from Musk’s endless criticism of the National Republican National Policy Bill. But any restraint intended to preserve a link he had taken once at noon on Thursday.
“Elon and I had an excellent relationship. I don’t know if we want it,” Trump told journalists in the oval office. “I was surprised.”
“I prefer that he criticize me that the bill,” said Trump, adding: “I am very disappointed with Elon.”
The president continued to stir the cauldron. Trump suggested Musk struck GOP legislation For personal interest, because it would eliminate federal tax incentives for electric vehicles that helped Tesla.
“He knew everything. He had no problem with that,” said Trump. “Suddenly, he had a problem. And he only developed the problem when he discovered that we will have to cut the EV mandate. ”
Musk – which was formerly called Trump’s “first friend” at the start of his second term – retaliated in a few minutes on X, and their political breakup took place in real time. Volatile billionaires would eventually reach familiar tools: their social media platforms. The quarrel broke out in a remarkably fast and amazing way for everyone.
“Anyway,” said Musk in a post X. “Keep the EV / solar incentive cuts in the bill, even if no oil and gas subsidy is affected (very unfair !!), but abandon the disgusting pork mountain in the bill.”
“Slim and Beau is the way,” added Musk in a separate post.
The mud did not stop there. Trump brought it to another level and threatened to reduce the vast federal musk.
“The simplest way to save money in our budget, billions and billions of dollars, is to terminate the subsidies and government contracts from Elon,” he wrote on Truth Social. “I have always been surprised that Biden did not do it!”
Musk replied: “Go ahead, do my day.” Tesla Shares fell 14% At the end of financial exchanges Thursday, extending their decrease of one week.
Earlier this year, Musk received an authority almost unlimited to direct a federal cost reduction campaign via the Ministry of Government, or DOGE. Tesla’s CEO left his special advisory role last week with AA Warm Oval Office Sendoff and a Trump Golden Key.
These well-being now seem to disappear in the rear view mirror.
Musk also called into question Trump’s political skills and tried to credit the president’s re -election. The director general of Tesla paid $ 288 million to support Trump and GOP candidates in the 2024 elections, According to the Washington Post.
“Without me, Trump would have lost the elections, the Dems would control the room and the Republicans are 51 to 49 years old in the Senate,” said Musk.
“Such ingratitude,” Musk wrote in a follow -up article. He launched the abandonment of the Republican Party and spent much of the day drawing critical positions of X against the president of the GOP, Mike Johnson, and the head of the majority of the Senate John Thune, among others.
Musk did not wrap it up there. He continued by proclaiming that it was “time to drop the very large bomb” and said that Trump “is in Epstein files. This is the real reason why they were not made public. Have a good day DJT! ”
Musk has provided no evidence of his assertion according to which the president’s name appears in government documents related to Epstein’s investigation. The White House did not immediately respond to a request for comments.
Many Democrats have enjoyed themselves on the public fight. Democratic representative Sarah McBride of Delaware summed up as “The great breakup.”
