Donald Trump and Elon Musk reignited their simmering feud on Tuesday, as the US president threatened to revoke federal funding for Musk’s companies and even hinted at deporting the billionaire tech mogul. The dramatic escalation came after Musk publicly criticised Trump’s flagship spending bill, triggering a sharp and personal response from the president.
Elon Musk, the world’s wealthiest individual and formerly Donald Trump’s largest political backer in the 2024 election, quickly became one of the former president’s closest allies upon his return to the White House, taking up the role of head of the Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE).
However, the Tesla and SpaceX chief is now signalling a dramatic shift, hinting that he may use his vast fortune to oppose Trump. Musk is reportedly considering launching a new political party aimed at challenging Republican lawmakers who support Trump’s sweeping “One Big Beautiful Bill.”
Unsurprisingly, Trump, 78, responded with characteristic vehemence. Asked by reporters on Tuesday whether he would contemplate deporting Musk — who has been a US citizen since 2002 — the president replied coldly, “We’ll have to take a look.”
In reply to a post on his X social network featuring Trump’s deportation comments, Musk replied on Tuesday: “So tempting to escalate this. So, so tempting. But I will refrain for now.”
Trump also signaled that he could take aim at the huge contracts and subsidies that Musk’s Space X rocket and Starlink satellite internet businesses receive from the US government.
“We might have to put DOGE on Elon. You know what DOGE is? DOGE is the monster that might have to go back and eat Elon,” Trump said.
Shares of Tesla sank more than six percent early Tuesday after Trump’s threat.
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Trump doubled down when he said he believed Musk was attacking his so-called “One Big Beautiful Bill” because he was annoyed that it had dropped measures to support the electric vehicles (EV) industry.
“He’s losing his EV mandate. He’s very upset about things, but you know, he could lose a lot more than that, I can tell you right now. Elon can lose a lot more than that.”
Trump echoed his frustrations on Truth Social late Monday, suggesting that without government subsidies, Elon Musk would have no choice but to shut down his companies and return to South Africa.
“Without subsidies, Elon would probably have to close up shop and head back home to South Africa,” Trump wrote. “No more rocket launches, satellites, or electric cars, and our country would save a FORTUNE. Maybe DOGE should take a good, hard look at this? BIG MONEY TO BE SAVED!!!”
Their relationship, once marked by a brief but intense political bromance after Trump’s return to office in January, has quickly deteriorated. Musk was frequently seen at the president’s side, both donning MAGA baseball caps at public appearances. In return, Trump defended Tesla when the company came under fire from protesters criticising Musk’s aggressive cost-cutting measures at DOGE.
However, their alliance came to a dramatic end in May after Musk openly condemned Trump’s massive spending bill and ultimately resigned from his government post, triggering a public fallout that continues to escalate.