Musk Steps Back from Trump: Abridged Comments "Overstepped the Line"
- Musk retracts in disagreement with Trump: "I overstepped my bounds"
Gearing towards a more reserved approach, Musk nodded to his previous assertions about Trump having exceeded the mark. The multibillionaire tycoon, controlling giants such as SpaceX, Tesla, and X, however, remained hush about the exact points he was alluding to.
Donald Trump graciously acknowledged Musk's change of heart, as reported by Trump's representative Karoline Leavitt. The president expressed gratitude, but the government has yet to reevaluate the agreements between Musk's enterprises and the government, as Trump had threatened to do last week.
According to the "New York Times," Musk's altered stance followed a late-night conversation with Trump, involving mediation attempts by Vice President JD Vance and Trump's chief of staff Susan Wiles1.
Musk had previously lashed out against the White House's fiscal policies, claiming they were propelling "America" towards bankruptcy2. He also insinuated ties between Trump and the Jeffrey Epstein scandal, though these remarks were swiftly removed from online platforms on a Saturday morning.
Quickly responding, Trump warned his former confidant not to target Republican congressmen who voted on the "Big Beautiful Bill" budget law. "If he does, there could be dire consequences for him," Trump stated in a televised interview3. He further labelled Musk as disrespectful but didn't elaborate on the potential consequences.
Initially an ally of the MAGA movement (Make America Great Again), Musk backed Trump during the 2024 election campaign with a reported budget of $280 million (approximately $245 million)4. However, after Trump's victory, Musk struggled to meet the ambitious reductions in government bureaucracy Tasked by Trump 5.
At the end of May, Musk relinquished his advisory role. Since then, he's been increasingly critical of Trump's fiscal policies, refuting their allegations of driving "America" towards bankruptcy and increasing government debt6.
The rift between the behemoths of power and wealth erupted during Chancellor Friedrich Merz's (CDU) visit to Washington last week, when Trump labelled his former ally as "deranged"7. In contrast, Musk had previously stated that without his support, Trump would have lost the 2020 election.
- Donald Trump
- Elon Musk
- US President
- Feud
- America
- Bankruptcy
- Karoline Leavitt
- New York Times
- JD Vance
- Susan Wiles
- Feud between Trump and Musk
- Musk's criticism of Trump's fiscal policies
- Elon Musk, the influential entrepreneur, criticized Donald Trump's fiscal policies, claiming they were pushing "America" towards bankruptcy.
- The feud between Donald Trump and Elon Musk escalated after Musk insinuated ties between Trump and the Jeffrey Epstein scandal, a remark swiftly removed from online platforms.
- Trump's representative, Karoline Leavitt, reported that Donald Trump acknowledged Musk's change of heart, but the government has yet to reevaluate the agreements between Musk's enterprises and the government.
- A late-night conversation between Musk and Trump, involving mediation attempts by Vice President JD Vance and Trump's chief of staff Susan Wiles, was reportedly the trigger for Musk's altered stance by the New York Times.
- In a televised interview, Trump warned Musk not to target Republican congressmen who voted on the "Big Beautiful Bill" budget law, stating that there could be dire consequences for him if he did.
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