Trump says relationship with Musk may be over
By: Josy Garrison
USA today
WASHINGTON - President Donald Trump said his close relationship with Elon Musk may be over after the world's richest man and former top White House adviser spent the past few days slamming the president's signature tax and policy bill.
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"Elon and I had a great relationship," trump told reporters in the Oval Office on June 5. [2025] "I don't know if we will anymore."
..... The president's comments triggered a war of words with Musk, who said Trump wouldn't have won a second term if it weren't for the quarter of a billion dollars in campaign cash he pumped in his 2024 campaign.
..... "Without me, Trump would have lost the election, Dems would control the House and the Republicans would be 51-49 in the Senate," Musk said in a post on X, the social media platform he owns. "Such ingratitude."
..... Trump
remarks were his first since musk called Trump's reconciliation bill "A disgusting abomination" and later urged his social media followers to lobby their representatives to "kill the bill." Musk has objected to the deficit implications of the legislation.
..... "I'm very disappointed with Elon. I helped Elon a lot," Trump said during a lengthy response to a question from a reporter about Musk's criticism as the president sat next to German Chancelor Fridric Merz for a bilateral meeting.
..... Trump accused musk of opposing the legislation because it would end a $7,500 consumer tax credit for buyers of electric vehicles, a Biden-era policy that has benefited electric care companies such as Musk's Tesla.
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"Elon knew the inner workings of the bill better than anybody sitting here," Trump said. "He had no problem with it. All of a sudden he had a problem, and he only developed the problem when he found out we're going to cut EV mandate."
..... Musk, CEO of Tesla and SpaceX, fired back at Trump shortly after the president's comments.
..... "whatever," Musk said in a post on X. "Keep the EV/solar incentive cuts in the bill, even those no oil & gas subsidies are touched (very unfair!), but ditch the MOUNTAIN OF DISCUSTING PORT in the bill."
..... Musk added: "In the entire story of civilization, there as never been legislation that both big and beautiful. Everyone knows this!"
.... Musk also disputed Trump's assertion that he was kept abreast of the bill's details.
..... "False," Musk said. "This bill was never shown to me even once and was passed in the dead of night so fast that almost no one in Congress could even read !"
..... Musk left the White House the week before the exchange after leading the government-slashing Department of Government Efficiency during the first months of Trump's second term. Although Musk first voiced criticism of Trump's bill before his exit, Trump had seemed to smooth things over when the welcomed him to the Oval Office for a friendly send-off news conference on May 30. [2025]
..... "I'll be honest," Trump said six days later on June 5." [2025] "I think he misses the place. I think he got out there and all of a sudden he wasn't in this beautiful Oval Office."