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The simmering tension between President Donald Trump and Elon Musk exploded publicly on Thursday, when the president sharply criticised Tesla’s CEO’s attack on the Republican policy bill, and Musk fought back saying the president had lost the election without his help.
“I am extremely disappointed because Elon knew how internally works in this bill,” Trump told reporters in the Oval Office at a bilateral meeting with German Prime Minister Friedrich Merz. “I’m extremely disappointed in Elon. I helped Elon a lot.”
Comments – And the quick-footed gusts of online retort from the mask show the latest developments of an astonishing break between the world’s wealthiest man and the US president who invited him into his administration. Musk’s actions in the government’s Department of Efficiency defined the early stages of Trump’s second term, with the two echoing each other with mutual praise earlier this year. But the relationship calmed down as Trump’s priorities shifted to major spending laws and Musk defeated his time in the White House.
Trump suggested that Musk, who called the GOP bill “nasty and hateful” earlier this week, was pissed over cutting off a tax credit aimed at encouraging the purchase of electric vehicles.
After Elon Musk denounced the Republican spending bill, the leader vowed to continue working to push Trump’s “big, beautiful bill.”
“ELON’s upset is because they received an EV mandate. This is a lot of money for electric vehicles, they struggle with electric vehicles, and they hope to pay billions of dollars in subsidies,” Trump said. “Elon knew this from the beginning.”
Tesla is the largest electric car manufacturer in the United States. The company’s sales have been struggling in recent months, reflecting the growing global competition and backlash created by mask political activity. Since leaving his White House role last week, Musk said he has returned to work at his company, including Tesla and leading government contractor SpaceX, “24/7.” But Tesla’s stock stumbled as it shoved up its attack on Trump’s signature bill. Stocks have fallen by more than 20% this year so far.
Trump’s comments on Thursday are his strongest against him against a man who was once a donor to his top campaign and was one of his closest advisors. Musk, who jokingly called himself “first buddy,” officially left the administration last week on a less friendly note.
“I was frankly disappointed when I saw the massive spending bill. This not only reduces it, it also increases the budget deficit and undermines the work the Doge team is doing,” he told CBS during his final days as a special government employee.
In response to Trump’s comments on Thursday, Musk first brushed them off as “anything,” but then quickly escalated to claim that Trump would have lost the election without him.
“Without me, Trump would lose the election, Dems would take control of the House and Republicans would be 51-49 in the Senate,” he said. That’s what it is,” he added.
opposition to the House bill also appears to have been strained Wednesday’s relationship with Mike Johnson, when the billionaire said he had done “180” in terms of support for his measure and that Musk had not responded to his call after opposing it. Johnson told reporters at Capitol Hill Thursday morning that he had planned to call masks again during the day.
The narrowly passed version will extend Trump’s 2017 tax cuts, eliminate tips and overtime taxes, increase immigration enforcement and military funding, cut to Medicaid and Supplementary Nutrition Assistance Programs, and raise debt caps by $4 trillion.
The nonpartisan Congressional Budget Office predicted in a new estimate released Wednesday that the law would add $2.4 trillion to citizen debt over the next decade.
Last week, Trump praised Musk’s work, leading the government’s efficiency department, which directed the federal government to massive fiscal and job cuts, but Mask’s goal of cutting $2 trillion from the federal budget was still not short.
“Eron hasn’t really left,” Trump said. “I think he’s going to go back and forth… I think it’s his baby, and I think he’ll do a lot, but Elon’s service to America has not been compared to modern history.”
This story first appeared on nbcnews.com. More from NBC News:
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