Donald Trump says he has No plans to Speak with Elon Musk
U.S. President Donald Trump said has no plans to speak with Elon Musk, signalling the president and his former ally might not resolve their feud over a sweeping tax-cut bill any time soon. Addressing reporters aboard Air Force One, Trump said he wasn't "thinking about" the Tesla CEO. "I hope he does well with Tesla," Trump said.
However, Trump said a review of Musk's extensive contracts with the federal government was in order. "We'll take look at everything," the president said. "It's a lot of money."
Trump may get rid of the red Tesla Model S that he bought in March after showcasing Musk's electric cars on the White House lawn, a White House official said, speaking on condition of anonymity.
Musk, for his part, did not directly address Trump but kept up his criticism of the massive Republican tax and spending bill that contains much of Trump's domestic agenda.
On his social-media platform X, Musk amplified remarks made by others that Trump's "big beautiful bill" would hurt Republicans politically and add to the nation's $36.2 trillion debt. He replied "exactly" to a post by another X user that said Musk had criticized Congress and Trump had responded by criticizing Musk personally.
Musk also declared it was time for a new political party in the United States "to represent the 80% in the middle!"
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, according to one person who has spoken to Musk's entourage.
The White House statements came one day after the two men battled openly in an extraordinary display of hostilities that marked a stark end to a close alliance.
Tesla stock, opens new tab rose on Friday, clawing back some losses from Thursday's session, when it dropped 14% and lost $150 billion in value, the largest single-day decline in the company's history.
Also Read: Elon Musk's Net Worth Rises to $270.3 Billion After Tesla's Surge
Musk's high-profile allies have largely stayed silent during the feud. But one, investor James Fishback, called on Musk to apologize.
"President Trump has shown grace and patience at a time when Elon’s behavior is disappointing and frankly downright disturbing," Fishback said in a statement.