US President Donald Trump issued a stark warning to Elon Musk, saying there would be “very serious consequences” if the tech billionaire follows through on threats to fund Democratic candidates running against Republicans who support the GOP’s massive budget legislation.
“If he does, he’ll have to pay the consequences,” Donald Trump told NBC News, without specifying what those consequences might be, adding, “He’ll have to pay very serious consequences if he does that.”
When asked whether he hoped to mend his relationship with the Tesla and SpaceX CEO, Trump replied bluntly, “No.” Asked if the relationship was over, the US President added, “I would assume so, yeah,” while emphasizing he had “no intention” of speaking with Musk. “I’m too busy doing other things,” he said.
Donald Trump also accused Elon Musk of disrespecting the presidency, following posts by the billionaire, including one (later deleted) linking the US President to convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein.
“You could not disrespect the office of the President,” Trump said, dismissing the post as “old news” and pointing out that even Epstein’s lawyer had cleared him.
Elon Musk, who has expressed frustration with the GOP’s $2.2 trillion “One Big Beautiful Bill Act,” ramped up his attacks, warning that the bill would worsen the national deficit and even promoting a call for Trump’s impeachment.
Despite the clash, Donald Trump downplayed concerns that Elon Musk’s opposition could threaten the bill’s fate in the Senate, saying, “I’m very confident” it will pass before July 4. He even suggested that the Elon Musk feud had inadvertently boosted the bill’s visibility, saying, “People that weren’t as focused started focusing on it, and they see how good it is.”
“I think it’s a shame that he’s so depressed and so heartbroken,” Donald Trump said, adding, “But that’s life.”