Trump Praises "Wonderful Guy" Musk Amid Feud Over "Big, Beautiful Bill"
Washington:
Amid his ongoing feud with Elon Musk over the "big beautiful bill, US President Donald Trump has praised his wayward billionaire wingman, calling him a "wonderful guy". The tech mogul served as Trump's presidential advisor until May 2025, when his tenure ended. But his exit from the White House soon turned explosive, with Musk criticing Trump's "big beautiful bill" on tax cuts.
Speaking to Fox News on Sunday, the US President called his Republican ally a "smart" guy and said he's "always going to do well."
"I think he's a wonderful guy. I haven't spoken to him much, but I think Elon is a wonderful guy, and I know he's going to do well always. He's a smart guy. And he actually went and campaigned with me, and this and that. But he got a little bit upset, and that wasn't appropriate," Trump said when he was asked if he had spoken to Musk recently.
When asked what led to the great fallout between him and Musk, Trump said the Tesla CEO was upset about the repeal of an electric vehicle tax credit - a claim previously rejected by the billionaire.
"Look, the electric vehicle mandate, the EV mandate, is a tough thing for him. I would, you know, I don't want everybody to have to have an electric car," Trump said.
Trump Musk Feud
The former Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) head, Musk, took to X on his 54th birthday on Saturday, issuing a a blistering critique of the Senate's latest draft of Trump's sweeping tax-and-spending bill, calling the legislation "utterly insane and destructive" right as the chamber prepared to open debate on the nearly 1,000-page proposal.
"The latest Senate draft bill will destroy millions of jobs in America and cause immense strategic harm to our country! Utterly insane and destructive," Musk wrote in the post.
The post was a continuation of Musk's opposition to the Grand Old Party's legislation, which he had previously described as a "disgusting abomination" filled with wasteful spending.
Musk's criticism of the bill triggered an online feud between him and Trump, with both men bashing one another on social media accounts. The disagreement escalated when Musk posted about an alleged connection between Donald Trump and the Epstein files -- a post he later deleted.
But despite Musk's criticism, the tax-cut bill was passed with a narrow 51-49 vote in the Senate. It will now move to the House of Representatives for a final vote before becoming law.
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