U.S. President Donald Trump has declared that his relationship with billionaire entrepreneur Elon Musk is over, warning of “serious consequences” if Musk supports Democratic candidates opposing his legislative agenda.
In a phone interview with NBC News on Saturday, Trump stated he has no intention of reconciling with the Tesla and SpaceX CEO following their recent heated exchanges on social media. “I’m too busy doing other things,” Trump said when asked if he planned to speak with Musk.
When questioned about the status of their relationship, Trump responded, “I would assume so, yeah,” indicating the relationship was over. He accused Musk of being “disrespectful to the office of the President.”
The tension between the two escalated after Musk criticized the “One Big Beautiful Bill,” a sweeping tax and spending bill championed by Trump and passed by the House of Representatives last month. Musk has been vocal about his opposition to the GOP-led spending bill, arguing that it could negatively impact the economy.
Trump warned that Musk would face “serious consequences” if he funds Democratic candidates running against Republicans who support the bill. “If he does, he’ll have to pay the consequences for that,” Trump said, without specifying what those consequences might be.
Despite Musk’s opposition, Trump expressed confidence that the bill would pass the Senate before July 4. “I’m very confident,” he said.
The public feud marks a significant deterioration in the relationship between the President and one of the nation’s most prominent tech innovators. It remains to be seen how this clash will impact future collaborations between Musk’s enterprises and the U.S. government.
