A public feud between President Donald Trump and Elon Musk has escalated, with potential implications for U.S. space operations and government contracts as both parties exchange threats and criticisms.The two sides are currently not in communication, with a White House official stating that no calls are planned with Musk on Friday. Trump is even considering selling his red Tesla, which he bought to support Musk, as their relationship deteriorates.”Elon and I had a great relationship. I don’t know if we will anymore. I was surprised,” Trump said on Thursday, highlighting the public feud with Musk, the world’s richest person. This conflict raises questions about potential collateral damage.Todd Belt from George Washington University said, “What really makes this different is there’s a whole lot of money at stake here for Elon Musk and his companies as opposed to other people Donald Trump has had feuds with, who are just politicians, and we’re talking about their political careers.”Following Trump’s threat to cancel Musk’s government contracts and subsidies, Tesla’s shares fell more than 14% on Thursday as investors sold off their holdings. Musk initially threatened on Twitter to decommission the SpaceX Dragon spacecraft “immediately,” but later retracted the statement after a user urged him to calm down. SpaceX is currently the only U.S. company capable of transporting crews to and from the International Space Station.The feud stems from Musk’s criticism of the president’s “big beautiful bill” currently in the Senate. Musk urged the public on social media to “kill the bill” due to concerns it could increase the federal deficit. However, political analysts believe Musk’s influence could stop there.”I don’t think Elon Musk has the political gravity to be able to move members of Congress the way Donald Trump has,” Belt said.Meanwhile, Democrats see the feud as an opportunity and hope Musk’s dissent might sway enough Republicans against the bill.Rep. Hakeem Jeffries, the Democratic Minority Leader, said, “At this moment, we just need a handful of Senate Republicans to do the right thing.”While some analysts doubt the feud will affect the bill’s chances of passing, they believe it could lead to more changes, such as reducing its size to address Republican concerns. Last week, Trump bid farewell to Musk in a news conference in the Oval Office, as Musk left his role leading the Department of Government Efficiency.
A public feud between President Donald Trump and Elon Musk has escalated, with potential implications for U.S. space operations and government contracts as both parties exchange threats and criticisms.
The two sides are currently not in communication, with a White House official stating that no calls are planned with Musk on Friday. Trump is even considering selling his red Tesla, which he bought to support Musk, as their relationship deteriorates.
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“Elon and I had a great relationship. I don’t know if we will anymore. I was surprised,” Trump said on Thursday, highlighting the public feud with Musk, the world’s richest person. This conflict raises questions about potential collateral damage.
Todd Belt from George Washington University said, “What really makes this different is there’s a whole lot of money at stake here for Elon Musk and his companies as opposed to other people Donald Trump has had feuds with, who are just politicians, and we’re talking about their political careers.”
Following Trump’s threat to cancel Musk’s government contracts and subsidies, Tesla’s shares fell more than 14% on Thursday as investors sold off their holdings. Musk initially threatened on Twitter to decommission the SpaceX Dragon spacecraft “immediately,” but later retracted the statement after a user urged him to calm down. SpaceX is currently the only U.S. company capable of transporting crews to and from the International Space Station.
The feud stems from Musk’s criticism of the president’s “big beautiful bill” currently in the Senate. Musk urged the public on social media to “kill the bill” due to concerns it could increase the federal deficit. However, political analysts believe Musk’s influence could stop there.
“I don’t think Elon Musk has the political gravity to be able to move members of Congress the way Donald Trump has,” Belt said.
Meanwhile, Democrats see the feud as an opportunity and hope Musk’s dissent might sway enough Republicans against the bill.
Rep. Hakeem Jeffries, the Democratic Minority Leader, said, “At this moment, we just need a handful of Senate Republicans to do the right thing.”
While some analysts doubt the feud will affect the bill’s chances of passing, they believe it could lead to more changes, such as reducing its size to address Republican concerns. Last week, Trump bid farewell to Musk in a news conference in the Oval Office, as Musk left his role leading the Department of Government Efficiency.
