Topline<\/p>\n
The feud between President Donald Trump and his former ally, Elon Musk, escalated Tuesday as the president said he\u2019ll look into potentially deporting the Tesla CEO and threatened probes into his companies, after Musk vowed to back primary challenges against GOP lawmakers voting for the president\u2019s signature spending bill.<\/p>\n
Tesla CEO Elon Musk speaks alongside U.S. President Donald Trump to reporters in the Oval Office of … More the White House.<\/p>\n
Getty ImagesKey Facts<\/p>\n
Speaking to reporters outside the White House on Tuesday, Trump was asked<\/a> if he\u2019ll deport the South African-born billionaire who is a naturalized U.S. citizen and said: \u201cI don\u2019t know. We\u2019ll have to take a look.\u201d<\/p>\n According to the Daily Mail\u2019s Emily Goodin, Trump said he might have to \u201cput DOGE on Elon…DOGE is the monster that might have to go back and eat Elon,\u201d referring to the cost-cutting agency that was the brainchild of Musk. <\/p>\n \u201cI don\u2019t think he should be playing that game with me,\u201d Trump warned<\/a> Musk in late morning comments to reporters, confirming he\u2019ll order DOGE to \u201clook at Musk.\u201d<\/p>\n Replying to a video of the Trump deportation threat, Musk wrote<\/a> \u201cso tempting to escalate this,\u201d but he would \u201crefrain for now,\u201d though he ominously added<\/a>, \u201cPhysics sees through all lies perfectly.\u201d<\/p>\n Musk attacked the spending bill in a series of posts on X on Monday night and early Tuesday morning, saying<\/a>: \u201cEvery member of Congress who campaigned on reducing government spending,\u201d and backed the mega bill \u201cwill lose their primary next year if it is the last thing I do on this Earth.\u201d<\/p>\n The billionaire then tweeted<\/a>, \u201cIf this insane spending bill passes, the America Party will be formed the next day,\u201d as he bashed what he described as the \u201cDemocrat-Republican uniparty.\u201d<\/p>\n What Has Trump Said In Response?<\/p>\n In a post on his Truth Social platform<\/a>, the president responded to Musk\u2019s criticism of his signature spending bill by threatening to scrap government subsidies provided to the billionaire\u2019s companies. Trump wrote: \u201cElon Musk knew, long before he so strongly Endorsed me for President, that I was strongly against the EV Mandate. It is ridiculous, and was always a major part of my campaign.\u201d Trump then claimed: \u201cElon may get more subsidy than any human being in history, by far, and without subsidies, Elon would probably have to close up shop and head back home to South Africa. No more Rocket launches, Satellites, or Electric Car Production, and our Country would save a FORTUNE.\u201d The president suggested the Department of Government Efficiency\u2014which was previously led by Musk\u2014should \u201ctake a good, hard, look\u201d at the subsidies offered to companies like SpaceX and Tesla. Musk shot back on X<\/a>, by daring Trump to slash the subsidies: \u201cI am literally saying CUT IT ALL. Now.\u201d<\/p>\n Tangent<\/p>\n Musk later said<\/a> anyone who votes for the legislation after campaigning \u201con the PROMISE of REDUCING SPENDING\u201d will see their face on a poster of Pinocchio with the caption \u201cLIAR\u201d followed by the text \u201cVoted to increase America\u2019s Debt by $5,000,000,000,000.\u201d The X owner reshared the results<\/a> of an unscientific poll he conducted on the platform last month during his public blow-up with the president and wrote \u201cVOX POPULI VOX DEI 80% voted for a new party.\u201d While criticizing the backers of the spending bill, Musk also boosted some of its prominent critics within the GOP, including some who have been the targets of Trump\u2019s ire. Musk retweeted<\/a> a post by Rep. Thomas Massie, R-Ky., who Trump called a \u201cThird Rate Congressman,\u201d which said: \u201c\u2018BBB\u2019 = our credit rating if this bill becomes law.\u201d Musk then vowed<\/a> to support<\/a> Massie\u2019s reelection bid next year. Musk also reshared posts made by Sen. Thom Tillis, R-N.C., whom Trump threatened to primary before he announced his decision not to seek reelection. Tillis had reshared a Musk post which appeared to criticize the spending bill for targeting solar and battery tech, and wrote<\/a>: \u201cFolks, Elon Musk is 100% right, and he understands this issue better than anyone. We should take his warnings seriously.\u201d Earlier on Monday, Musk had attacked the GOP and the spending bill, tweeting<\/a>: \u201cIt is obvious with the insane spending of this bill, which increases the debt ceiling by a record FIVE TRILLION DOLLARS that we live in a one-party country \u2013 the PORKY PIG PARTY!!\u201d<\/p>\n Big Number<\/p>\n 6%. That\u2019s how much shares of Tesla<\/a> dropped in premarket trading in response to the battle between its CEO and the U.S. president.<\/p>\n Key Background<\/p>\n Musk, who left his role as a Trump administration \u201cspecial government employee\u201d late in May, has since attacked the so-called \u201cBig Beautiful Bill\u201d backed by the president and the House GOP. The billionaire previously described himself as Trump\u2019s \u201cfirst buddy<\/a>,\u201d but eventually directed his ire directly at the president by sharing older clips of the president bashing Republicans for raising the debt ceiling. The feud escalated<\/a> after the president accused Musk of having \u201cTrump Derangement Syndrome,\u201d a phrase he often uses to target his critics. This launched a social media war between them, during which Trump threatened to scrap Musk\u2019s government contracts. The billionaire retorted with a now-deleted tweet alleging without evidence that Trump\u2019s name was in the Epstein files. Both individuals appeared to have reached a detente until Monday, with Musk even tweeting<\/a> he regretted some of his \u201cposts about President Donald Trump,\u201d which he said \u201cwent too far.\u201d<\/p>\n Further Reading<\/p>\n