Latest news with #MuskVsTrump
The Guardian
18 hours ago
- Business
- The Guardian
‘A billion people backing you': China transfixed as Musk turns against Trump
Few break-ups have as many gossiping observers as the fallout between the once inseparable Donald Trump and Elon Musk. The ill-fated bromance between the US president and the world's richest man, which once raised questions about American oligarchy, is now being pored over by social media users in China, many of whom are Team Musk. The latest drama comes from Musk's pledge to found a new political party, the America party, if Trump's sweeping tax and spending bill, which Musk described as 'insane' passed the Senate this week (it did). Musk had already vowed to unseat lawmakers who backed Trump's flagship piece of legislation, which is expected to increase US national debt by $3.3tn. On Wednesday, hours after the bill passed the US Senate, the hashtag #MuskWantsToBuildAnAmericaParty went viral on Weibo, a Chinese social media platform similar to Musk's X, receiving more than 37m views. 'If Elon Musk were to found a political party, his tech-driven mindset could inject fresh energy into politics. The potential for change is significant – and worth watching,' wrote one Weibo user. 'When you've had enough, there's no need to keep putting up with it,' wrote another. One comment summed up the mood on the platform: 'Brother Musk, you've got over a billion people on our side backing you.' Musk, the CEO of Tesla and SpaceX, is widely venerated in China for his business acumen and technological achievements. Tesla's electric vehicles are the only western brand on Chinese roads that can rival domestic firms, and the company's biggest factory by volume is in Shanghai. Musk is known to have a close relationship with China's premier, Li Qiang, while Musk's mother, Maye Musk, is a social media celebrity in her own right in China. Musk's popularity in China follows a well-established trend of Chinese audiences enthusiastically embracing US tech innovators. Walter Isaacson's biography of Steve Jobs was a bestseller in China, as was his biography of Musk. Trump, however, is seen by many as being an unpredictable funnyman who has launched the most aggressive trade war on China in recent history. Some internet users commented that Trump and Musk should grow up. 'These two grown men argue nonstop over the smallest things – and the whole world ends up knowing about it,' wrote one user, while another joked: 'Every day, Musk is basically live-streaming 'How Billionaires Argue''. The conversation has been allowed to flourish on China's tightly controlled social media, suggesting that at least some censors are betting that the US political chaos could be no bad thing for China. Additional research by Lillian Yang
The Independent
a day ago
- Business
- The Independent
Tesla stock ready to sink again as Musk-Trump feud heats up and president targets first buddy's subsidies
Tesla's stock price dropped more than five percent in premarket trading early on Tuesday following a suggestion by President Donald Trump that government subsidies for Elon Musk's companies, such as Tesla, should be reviewed by the so-called Department of Government Efficiency, which Musk used to lead. The plunge arrived in the middle of a renewed feud between the president and the world's richest man after Musk attacked Trump's congressional spending package and threatened to form a new political party. Tesla dropped below $300 for a short period of time after Trump said Musk's companies got more subsidies 'than any human being in history.' The stock settled at about $301.10, a drop of 5.2 percent, early on Tuesday. Tesla's stock has dropped more than 9.2 percent since the public feud began last month. Tesla's shares fell below $285 last month when Musk and Trump began their public attacks against each other. However, the price recovered later in the month, as signs emerged that relations between Musk and the president were improving. Musk's current net worth is currently $406.5 billion, making him the world's richest person by a wide margin. But his net worth is expected to drop as markets opened Tuesday. Musk, who has repeatedly attacked the centerpiece of Trump's legislative agenda, has threatened to fund primary challengers against any Republicans who vote in support of the bill. 'If this insane spending bill passes, the America Party will be formed the next day,' he wrote on X, the social media platform he owns. Trump took to his own social media platform, Truth Social, to suggest that without subsidies from the federal government, Musk's companies, such as SpaceX and Tesla, would have to 'close up shop' and Musk would possibly have to 'head back home to South Africa.' The president added that DOGE should review the costs of the subsidies, suggesting there's 'BIG MONEY TO BE SAVED' by removing them. 'I am literally saying CUT IT ALL. Now,' Musk responded. 'Elon Musk knew, long before he so strongly Endorsed me for President, that I was strongly against the EV Mandate,' said Trump. 'It is ridiculous, and was always a major part of my campaign. Electric cars are fine, but not everyone should be forced to own one.' Asked on Tuesday whether he would considering deporting the South African billionaire, Trump appeared to leave the door open to the idea. 'I don't know. We'll have to take a look,' he said outside the White House. 'We might have to put DOGE on Elon. You know what DOGE is? DOGE is the monster that might have to go back and eat Elon.'
Gizmodo
4 days ago
- Business
- Gizmodo
Elon Musk Launches a Scathing New Attack on Trump's 'Big, Beautiful Bill'
Elon Musk has shattered his political silence with a series of blistering attacks aimed directly at the legislative centerpiece of the Trump administration. Just hours before a critical Senate vote on the president's 'One Big Beautiful Bill,' the billionaire CEO of Tesla and SpaceX reiterated his fierce opposition, escalating a feud with his former boss. The public break marks a dramatic turn. For months, Musk was a high profile, if unconventional, member of the administration, heading the much vaunted Department of Government Efficiency, cheekily known as DOGE. But even during his final hours in government, the world's richest man began to voice his dissent over the bill, which the Republican led Congress is rushing to pass before the July 4th holiday. Their alliance between Musk and President Donald Trump, always a transactional marriage of convenience between two larger than life figures, publicly imploded on June 5. The fallout began when Trump, speaking to reporters in the Oval Office, expressed his 'disappointment' in Musk's criticisms, suggesting the tech mogul only soured on the bill after electric vehicle subsidies were cut. This sparked a real time tirade from Musk on X. He accused Trump of lying, claiming the bill was 'never shown to me,' and boasted that 'without me, Trump would have lost the election.' The conflict spiraled from there, with Trump threatening Musk's lucrative government contracts and Musk, at one point, alleging Trump's name appeared in the infamous Epstein files before deleting the post. Now, that simmering conflict has boiled over once again. At stake is a sprawling piece of legislation that defines the Trump administration's second term priorities. The bill includes deep cuts to social programs like Medicaid and Medicare, a new round of massive tax cuts, and a significant raise to the nation's debt ceiling. Crucially for Musk, it also proposes drastic reductions and new taxes on the clean energy sector, a direct threat to the industries he leads through Tesla and his solar ventures After criticizing the version of the bill that passed the House of Representatives, Musk has now launched a full scale assault on the revised Senate version slated for a vote on June 28. He began by amplifying a post on his social media platform, X, from a user detailing the bill's aggressive new measures against the green energy sector. 'The new Senate draft raises taxes on all wind and solar projects that haven't begun construction today unless they are placed service by end of 2027 and navigate complex, likely unworkable requirements to prove they don't use a drop of Chinese materials. After that, this bill ADDS A NEW tax on wind and solar projects that can't prove the same,' the user posted. The new Senate draft raises taxes on all wind and solar projects that haven't begun construction today unless they are placed service by end of 2027 and navigate complex, likely unworkable requirements to prove they don't use a drop of Chinese materials. After that, this bill… — Jesse D. Jenkins (@JesseJenkins) June 28, 2025Musk co-signed the critique, before adding his own dire warning about the bill's broader consequences for the country. 'The latest Senate draft bill will destroy millions of jobs in America and cause immense strategic harm to our country!,' the billionaire wrote, adding that it is, 'Utterly insane and destructive. It gives handouts to industries of the past while severely damaging industries of the future.' The latest Senate draft bill will destroy millions of jobs in America and cause immense strategic harm to our country! Utterly insane and destructive. It gives handouts to industries of the past while severely damaging industries of the future. — Elon Musk (@elonmusk) June 28, 2025The question now is how President Trump will react. He has made the passage of this bill his top legislative priority, and his administration has worked tirelessly to silence any dissenting voices within the party. Undeterred, Musk seized on another critical post to continue his offensive. When the same user asked who could possibly want the legislation, which is opposed by automakers, electric utilities, and data center developers, the tech mogul agreed and took his criticism even further. 'Good question. Who?' Musk responded, before attacking another core component of the bill. 'At the same time, this bill raises the debt ceiling by $5 TRILLION, the biggest increase in history, putting America in the fast lane to debt slavery!' Good question. Who? At the same time, this bill raises the debt ceiling by $5 TRILLION, the biggest increase in history, putting America in the fast lane to debt slavery! — Elon Musk (@elonmusk) June 28, 2025Citing polls he posted on X that show widespread opposition to the bill's key tenets, Musk delivered his most pointed political warning yet. 'Polls show that this bill is political suicide for the Republican Party,' he posted. Polls show that this bill is political suicide for the Republican Party — Elon Musk (@elonmusk) June 28, 2025The polling data Musk referenced, reportedly conducted by The Tarrance Group, a Republican strategic research and polling firm, between June 14 and June 19, appears to validate his position. The results show that 53% of respondents agree with Musk's characterization of the bill as an 'outrageous pork-packed spending bill that will massively increase the budget deficit and burden American citizens with crushingly unsustainable debt.' Furthermore, 57% of those polled concurred with his specific claim that the legislation 'would increase the federal deficit by $2.4 trillion over the next decade.
Daily Mail
20-06-2025
- Business
- Daily Mail
Elon Musk blames 'snake' White House aide for rift with Trump
Elon Musk continued his feud with the Trump administration on his way out of Washington, referring to the director of presidential personnel as 'a snake.' Sergio Gor, who feuded with Musk during his time as head of DOGE and reportedly killed Musk's preferred nominee for NASA administrator, is accused of not being vetted before taking the job. The media saw it as the man in charge of vetting White House employees not being looked into himself, while Musk saw it in a different way, writing on X Wednesday night: 'He's a snake.' Musk's post remains up which is notable given the Tesla CEO has apologized for going 'too far' in his wild statements regarding Donald Trump during their falling out. When reached out to the White House, they defended Gor's (pictured) credentials and a White House official noted that he helped Musk get many of his preferred DOGE employees installed in Washington. 'Mr. Gor is fully compliant with all applicable ethical and legal obligations. His security clearance is active, any insinuation he doesn't maintain a clearance is false.' said White House Counsel David Warrington. Nonetheless, several prominent officials defended Gor's work in the second Trump administration. JD Vance added: 'Sergio has led the effort to ensure committed, principled America First advocates staff the President's government. He's done a great job, and will continue to do so. Sergio is a vital member of the team and he has helped President Trump put together an Administration that is second to none,' White House Communications Director Steven Cheung said. 'As a long-time advisor, there is nobody more capable of ensuring the government is staffed with people who are aligned with the mission to make America great again and work towards implementing the President's agenda.' White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt called The New York Post's original story 'sad' and 'baseless gossip' and called Gor a 'trusted advisor to President Trump.' Trump's surprise decision to change Musk's preferred pick to lead NASA may have done more to fuel the historic blowup between the two men than previously known. The president canceled his nomination of Jared Isaacman as NASA's administrator after Musk officially left the White House on Friday. Isaacman, a billionaire, pilot and astronaut, was close with Musk and even flew to space with Musk's Dragon program on Operation Polaris Dawn in 2024 . But he had a history of donating funds to Democrats, including recent Democratic candidates who ran against GOP senators Tim Sheehy of Montana and Bernie Moreno of Ohio in 2024. Despite his donations, Isaacman was approved by the Senate committee in April and was expected to get confirmed this week in the Senate. But Trump's advisor Gor reportedly delivered Trump a list of Isaacman's donations to Democrats. Gor did not appreciate Musk's involvement in personnel matters, the report noted, as they had a tense relationship. 'This was Sergio's out-the-door '[expletive] you' to Musk,' one White House official said. Trump and Musk spoke about Issacson's record prior to their press conference last Friday. Despite their conversation, Trump pulled Issacson's nomination on Saturday. 'After a thorough review of prior associations, I am hereby withdrawing the nomination of Jared Isaacman to head NASA,' Trump wrote on his Truth Social site. Musk responded to the news with disappointment 'It is rare to find someone so competent and good-hearted,' Musk wrote of Isaacman on X. The president mused Thursday that Musk's personal attacks might have been trigged by his decision. 'I know that disturbed him He wanted and rightfully recommended somebody that I guess he knew very well. I'm sure he respected him, to run NASA. But I didn't think it was appropriate. He happened to be a Democrat, like totally Democrat,' Trump said, adding that the administration had the right to nominate a Republican to the position. As the person in charge at the White House personnel office, Gor is a powerful aide that is rarely crossed as he influences who is allowed to work in the administration. Gor, a long-time loyal Deputy Chief of staff to Sen. Rand Paul, left in 2019 to serve as Chief of Staff to Trump Victory Finance Committee.
Daily Mail
20-06-2025
- Business
- Daily Mail
Elon Musk savages White House aide blamed for sinister move that led to First Buddy's fall out with Trump
Elon Musk continued his feud with the Trump administration on his way out of Washington, referring to the director of presidential personnel as 'a snake.' Sergio Gor, who feuded with Musk during his time as head of DOGE and reportedly killed Musk's preferred nominee for NASA administrator, is accused of not being vetted before taking the job. The media saw it as the man in charge of vetting White House employees not being looked into himself, while Musk saw it in a different way, writing on X Wednesday night: 'He's a snake.' Musk's post remains up which is notable given the Tesla CEO has apologized for going 'too far' in his wild statements regarding Donald Trump during their falling out. When reached out to the White House, they defended Gor's credentials and a White House official noted that he helped Musk get many of his preferred DOGE employees installed in Washington. 'Mr. Gor is fully compliant with all applicable ethical and legal obligations. His security clearance is active, any insinuation he doesn't maintain a clearance is false.' said White House Counsel David Warrington. Nonetheless, several prominent officials defended Gor's work in the second Trump administration. JD Vance added: 'Sergio has led the effort to ensure committed, principled America First advocates staff the President's government. He's done a great job, and will continue to do so.' 'Sergio is a vital member of the team and he has helped President Trump put together an Administration that is second to none,' White House Communications Director Steven Cheung said. 'As a long-time advisor, there is nobody more capable of ensuring the government is staffed with people who are aligned with the mission to make America great again and work towards implementing the President's agenda.' White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt called The New York Post's original story 'sad' and 'baseless gossip' and called Gor a 'trusted advisor to President Trump.' Trump's surprise decision to change Musk's preferred pick to lead NASA may have done more to fuel the historic blowup between the two men than previously known. The president canceled his nomination of Jared Isaacman as NASA's administrator after Musk officially left the White House on Friday. Isaacman, a billionaire, pilot and astronaut, was close with Musk and even flew to space with Musk's Dragon program on Operation Polaris Dawn in 2024. But he had a history of donating funds to Democrats, including recent Democratic candidates who ran against GOP senators Tim Sheehy of Montana and Bernie Moreno of Ohio in 2024. Despite his donations, Isaacman was approved by the Senate committee in April and was expected to get confirmed this week in the Senate. But Trump's advisor Gor reportedly delivered Trump a list of Isaacman's donations to Democrats. Gor did not appreciate Musk's involvement in personnel matters, the report noted, as they had a tense relationship. 'This was Sergio's out-the-door 'f**k you' to Musk,' one White House official said. Trump and Musk spoke about Issacson's record prior to their press conference last Friday. Despite their conversation, Trump pulled Issacson's nomination on Saturday. 'After a thorough review of prior associations, I am hereby withdrawing the nomination of Jared Isaacman to head NASA,' Trump wrote on his Truth Social site. Musk responded to the news with disappointment 'It is rare to find someone so competent and good-hearted,' Musk wrote of Isaacman on X. The president mused Thursday that Musk's personal attacks might have been trigged by his decision. 'I know that disturbed him He wanted and rightfully recommended somebody that I guess he knew very well. I'm sure he respected him, to run NASA. But I didn't think it was appropriate. He happened to be a Democrat, like totally Democrat,' Trump said, adding that the administration had the right to nominate a Republican to the position. As the person in charge at the White House personnel office, Gor is a powerful aide that is rarely crossed as he influences who is allowed to work in the administration. Gor, a long-time loyal Deputy Chief of staff to Sen. Rand Paul, left in 2019 to serve as Chief of Staff to Trump Victory Finance Committee. He also is a close associate of Donald Trump Jr. and and officiated Rep. Matt Gaetz's wedding in August 2021. Gor also co-founded Trump Jr.'s publishing company and founded a pro-Trump super PAC in the 2024 election, spending nearly $72 million.
