DONALD Trump announced on Saturday, June 7, that his relationship with billionaire Elon Musk has ended.
He warned of “serious consequences” if Musk supports U.S. Democrats challenging Republicans backing his major tax and spending legislation.
In a phone interview with NBC News, Trump refused to specify the consequences and said there had been no discussions about investigating Musk.
When asked if his ties with the Tesla and SpaceX CEO were officially over, Trump responded in the affirmative and made it clear he had no interest in mending the relationship.
“I have no intention of speaking to him,” Trump said.
However, Trump said he hadn’t considered canceling U.S. government contracts with Musk’s companies, including Starlink’s satellite internet services and SpaceX’s rocket launches.
The tension between the two escalated in the just-ended week, with Musk slamming Trump’s bill, calling it a disgusting abomination.
Musk’s opposition to the bill has added challenges to its passage in Congress, where Republicans have only narrow majorities in both the House and Senate.
The legislation narrowly cleared the House last month and is currently being reviewed in the Senate, where some Republicans are considering potential amendments.
Independent analysts project that the bill would increase the U.S. national debt by $2.4 trillion over the next decade, raising concerns among lawmakers, including fiscally conservative Republicans.
Musk also called for the creation of a new political party to represent the “80 per cent in the middle” of the American electorate.
Despite the hurdles, Trump expressed confidence on Saturday that the bill will be passed by July 4, Independence Day.
“In fact, yeah, people that were, were going to vote for it are now enthusiastically going to vote for it, and we expect it to pass,” Trump told NBC.
Musk has removed several social media posts criticising Trump, including one that suggested backing the president’s impeachment, seemingly aiming to tone down the public spat that intensified on Thursday, June 5, 2025.
Musk, currently the world’s richest individual, heavily financed Trump’s 2024 presidential bid, contributing nearly $300 million during last year’s U.S. elections and claiming credit for the Republicans keeping their House majority and regaining control of the Senate.
Trump had appointed Musk to lead an initiative aimed at reducing the size of the federal workforce and curbing government spending, even praising him at the White House just a week earlier for his role as the head of the Department of Government Efficiency.
However, Musk managed to cut only about 0.5 per cent of total government spending, falling significantly short of his bold promise to slash $2 trillion from the federal budget.
Fatimah Quadri is a Journalist and a Fact-checker at The ICIR. She has written news articles, fact-checks, explainers, and media literacy in an effort to combat information disorder.
She can be reached at sunmibola_q on X or fquadri@icirnigeria.org