Latest news with #PhilipLow
Yahoo
07-07-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
From primary challenges to stranded astronauts: How Elon Musk can hurt Donald Trump
"Knowing Elon the way I know him, I do think he's going to do everything to damage the president." So declared Elon Musk's former friend and business associate Philip Low, who has known the Tesla and SpaceX tycoon for 14 years, in a recent interview with Politico. Those remarks seemed to be borne out Monday night when Musk renewed his on-again, off-again feud with Donald Trump by attacking Trump's "Big Beautiful Bill" and threatening to form a new political party. Trump responded in kind, suggesting he would "take a look" at revoking Musk's citizenship and that he "might have to put DOGE on Elon". As The Independent reported last month, there are a great many ways that Trump could try to hurt Musk, from targeting his companies with federal investigations to deportation or even criminal investigations. But Musk is not without cards to play. Through his vast wealth, his business empire, and his ability to martial a zealous online fanbase, he has plenty of ways to make life difficult for his erstwhile "buddy". So if the world's richest person really wants this fight, what punches could he throw? The first and most obvious weapon in Musk's arsenal is his vast wealth: an estimated $405 billion, according to Forbes. In the 2024 election, Musk plowed $295 million into supporting Republican candidates, chiefly Trump himself. That's a huge amount in American politics, but it's chump change for today's mega-rich. For context, across the whole of 2023 and 2024, the total amount of money raised by all presidential candidates was only $2 billion, according to the Federal Election Commission. Congressional candidates raised $3.8 billion, while PACs raised a more respectable $15.7 billion. Matching those amounts wouldn't be trivial for Elon Musk, because like most of the world's richest people his wealth is tied up in stocks that can't easily be unloaded all at once. Still, based on Wednesday's share prices, he could pay for the entire 2024 election cycle by liquidating just one fifth of his reported $130 billion stake in Tesla. We have a sense already of how Musk might use this money. "Every member of Congress who campaigned on reducing government spending and then immediately voted for the biggest debt increase in history should hang their head in shame! And they will lose their primary next year if it is the last thing I do on this Earth," he said on Monday. He's suggested he'd donate to Republican representative Thomas Massie, a persistent critic of Trump's. And there's still another $100 million Musk previously promised Trump that he could decide to withhold. He could even give money to Democrats, who will likely take it (although Trump has threatened 'serious consequences' in that scenario). They are politicians, after all. Musk's billions could also fund the creation of a new political party. Although the USA's first-past-the-post electoral system means third parties find it almost impossible to get a seat in Congress, they can still leech votes from the mainstream. That said, Musk's notion that 80 percent of the USA agrees with his opinions seems disconnected from reality. The polling expert Nate Silver puts his net favorability rating at a weighted average of -18 percent, which is considerably worse than Trump himself. Of course, money isn't everything — as Musk himself found out when his attempt to sway the Wisconsin Supreme Court election in March and April crashed and burned. Luckily for him, it's not his only asset. Musk's overall popularity may have dropped dramatically since the election. But his pull with Republican voters specifically was still very high as of early June. That's testament to his ability to build and maintain a fanatical fanbase. Like Trump, he has a knack for inspiring loyalty and whipping up his supporters against new targets, as well as a keen instinct for controversy. And also like Trump, he doesn't need to be popular with all Americans to cause trouble for his enemies. He only needs enough dedicated partisans on his side. 'Elon has wooed enough of Trump's supporters to be an actual threat politically,' Musk's old friend Philip Low told Politico. "[Trump] doesn't realize the battle that he has on his hands." Musk's ownership of X, formerly Twitter, will help him there. Having already turned the social network into a hub of the MAGA media universe — and reportedly tweaked its algorithms in favor of his own posts — he now has enormous control over the conservative information stream. Given how many Americans now essentially live in a parallel media universe, maintained by fake news entrepreneurs and skewed social media algorithms, that gives him influence over what Trump's base even believes to be reality. Granted, Trump remains the unquestioned ruler of the GOP. And when polls pit Musk against Trump directly, Republican voters largely side with the king. Yet Musk's combination of financial and social capital makes him a powerful ally to anyone within the party hoping to chart their own course. From fiscal hawks opposed to Trump's spending spree to centrists with one eye on their purple state majority, there are plenty of people in Congress who won't always back Trump 100 percent. Musk can boost and sustain them, helping them resist the eye of Sauron effect that Trump has traditionally used to beat his coalition into line. Other threats are more esoteric. NASA would be pretty stuck without SpaceX, which currently offers the only reliable way of ferrying astronauts to and from the International Space Station. Musk's satellite business Starlink is relied on by governments and militaries across the world, including some U.S. agencies. Having helped kickstart China's world-leading electric vehicle industry, he also has a serious fanbase in China — and good relationships with the Chinese Communist Party. "Brother Musk, you've got over a billion people on our side backing you," said one user on the Chinese social network Weibo on Wednesday. Most juicily of all, he has information. Musk spent months at the heart of the Trump administration, attending cabinet meetings and undertaking highly controversial projects. What might he have learned or witnessed during that time that could damage Trump politically? We got a taste of that when Musk accused Trump of being "in the Epstein files". That's nothing new: we've known since 2015 that Trump was in Jeffrey Epstein's address book (which is not evidence of wrongdoing), and his ties to the child-abusing financier are long documented. Yet as Trump knows all too well, in today's politics truth has only a passing relevance to how much chaos a lurid allegation can cause. None of these factors are a slam dunk for Musk. His born-again MAGA conversion has trashed his former reputation as an apolitical business genius, and toxified his image among Democratic voters. Getting more involved in politics would only prolong investors' disquiet about his ability to focus on running Tesla and SpaceX. Trying to dish dirt on Trump could also tempt revenge in kind, which could be dangerous given the sheer range of allegations about Musk's personal life. Most of all, to misquote a line from the early 19th century writer Hilaire Belloc that Musk seems to be fond of: whatever happens, Trump has got the nukes, and Musk does not. Then again, when has the near certainty of adverse consequences ever stopped Elon Musk?
Yahoo
01-07-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
Elon Musk's Former Friend Claims He Is 'Going To Do Everything To Damage' Trump After Being 'Humiliated'
Elon Musk's public fallout with Donald Trump may have a long-lasting effect on their relationship. The Tesla owner stunned millions on X (formerly Twitter) when he made several bombshell allegations about the president, including a bold claim that Trump is the reason why the Jeffrey Epstein files have not been fully released. While Elon Musk has since admitted that he regrets the remarks he made, a former friend of the billionaire, Philip Low, has shared that the tech mogul is "going to do everything to damage" Trump. Low, a neuroscientist and Musk's former pal, who founded NeuroVigil, has made bleak remarks about the billionaire's feud with Trump, which saw the pair trade blows on social media. According to Low, Musk doesn't move on easily from big fights with people, especially after being "humiliated." "I've had my share of blowouts with Elon over the years," he told Politico. "Knowing Elon the way I know him, I do think he's going to do everything to damage the president." Low also noted that the duo's attempt to patch things up publicly and present a united front was "purely cosmetic," implying that there's still bad blood between Musk and Trump. "He has been humiliated," Low stated about his former friend. "The whole idea that Elon is going to be on his side and help woo Congress and invest in election campaigns for right-wing judges — Elon might do all of that, but deep down, it's over." The former buddies seemingly fell out over what seemed to be differences in their approach to government spending after Trump launched the "One Big Beautiful Bill." Musk, who was previously head of the Department of Government Efficiency, a department tasked with making the government more efficient by cutting spending and downsizing the federal workforce, slammed the bill as a "disgusting abomination" on X. "Shame on those who voted for it: you know you did wrong. You know it," he wrote at the time, adding that the bill "will massively increase the already gigantic budget deficit to $2.5 trillion (!!!) and burden America [sic] citizens with crushingly unsustainable debt." After his criticism of Trump's bill, Musk made some unsettling posts about the president, including one where he dropped the "bomb" by alleging that the billionaire politician was on late pedophile Jeffrey Epstein's list, and that was "the real reason they have not been made public." In another explosive tweet, Musk claimed that Trump couldn't have won the 2024 elections without him, a tweet that seemingly irritated the president. "Without me, Trump would have lost the election, Dems would control the House, and the Republicans would be 51-49 in the Senate," Musk said. He added: "Such ingratitude." The tech mogul even suggested at one point that Trump should be impeached and replaced by Vice President JD Vance. He had previously shared how some of Trump's officials undermined his role at DOGE and never took seriously his efforts to reduce government spending. David Schoen, who was Epstein's attorney, swiftly addressed speculations suggesting the disgraced financier had information on Trump after Musk's bombshell remarks. Schoen claimed that Epstein told him he did not have any dirt on Trump and that he would have used it to his advantage if he did. "What I can say definitively is that I discussed this subject with Mr. Epstein at a time when it would have been in his best interests to implicate others, and he made clear that Donald Trump did nothing wrong and that he had no damaging information against him," Schoen said, per TMZ. A few days after his public fight with Trump, Musk took to his X social media platform to admit that he regretted some of the posts he made about the president. "I regret some of my posts about President @realDonaldTrump last week," the Tesla boss wrote. "They went too far." Trump, on the other hand, shared that he was "disappointed" in Musk but that he has "no hard feelings." During a chat with columnist Miranda Devine on the debut episode of "Pod Force One," Trump said: "I was really surprised that that happened. He went after a bill that's phenomenal. …He just — I think he feels very badly that he said that, actually." He added, "That happens. Things like that happen. I don't blame him for anything. I was a little disappointed."
Yahoo
01-07-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
Musk will ‘do everything to damage' Trump and is building political influence to rival MAGA, mogul's former friend reveals
A man who was once close with billionaire Elon Musk warned President Donald Trump that the tech CEO is unforgiving and will do 'everything' to hurt the president, even after the two seemingly made up. 'I've had my share of blowouts with Elon over the years,' Philip Low told POLITICO. 'Knowing Elon the way I know him, I do think he's going to do everything to damage the president.' Low, a neuroscientist who founded the company NeuroVigil, experienced Musk's grudges firsthand when he fired the Tesla CEO from the advisory board of his startup in 2021. He claimed that Musk joined the advisory board for NeuroVigil, which builds a non-invasive brain monitoring device that can be used to detect neurological conditions. But then attempted to leave NeuroVigil's board after starting his brain-implant company Neuralink. Low fired Musk from NeuroVigil's advisory board instead of allowing him to resign to prevent the tech billionaire from using his stock options to hurt NeuroVigil. Low, who has known the tech mogul for 14 years, said he's unconvinced that Musk has forgiven Trump for the verbal battle the two engaged in earlier this month across their respective social media platforms. Musk had a bitter end to his time as an adviser and de facto head of the Department of Government Efficiency after publicly criticizing Trump's 'Big Beautiful Bill' on X. Trump claimed he pushed Musk out for acting 'crazy' and threatened to revoke his lucrative government contracts. In return, Musk accused Trump of being named in the government's investigation of Jeffrey Epstein. Trump has not been accused of any formal wrongdoing or charged with a crime related to the Epstein investigation. Though the two had a bitter falling out on social media, they appear to have reconciled somewhat - something Low branded as 'purely cosmetic' and transactional. 'He (Musk) has been humiliated,' he said. 'The whole idea that Elon is going to be on his side and help woo Congress and invest in election campaigns for right-wing judges — Elon might do all of that, but deep down, it's over.' Indeed, Low is warning that Musk may use his influence to undermine Trump's as a form of revenge. 'It's not a question of if, it's a question of when,' Low said 'Elon has his own pattern of trying to destabilize companies. He wants to take over, and if he can't take them over, then he tries to create a rival entity to compete,' Low said, though Low once noted Neuralink and NeuroVigil are not rivals. 'They were absolutely on a collision course, and I think that Trump tried to gloss over it by making it look as if he wanted Elon to be as aggressive as he was,' Low told POLITICO. Musk used his finances to help Trump get elected last year and his influence to secure a spot in the White House temporarily. Low believes Musk could use that same influence and connections to threaten Trump politically. 'He doesn't realize the battle that he has on his hands, and one way to cut the support away from Elon is to actually adopt some of the things he is for,' Low said.
Yahoo
30-06-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
Old Pal Of Elon Musk Has Ominous Warning For Donald Trump
An old pal of Elon Musk said the tech mogul will relentlessly attempt to hurt President Donald Trump. 'I've had my share of blowouts with Elon over the years,' neuroscientist Philip Low told Politico in an article posted Sunday. 'Knowing Elon the way I know him, I do think he's going to do everything to damage the president.' Low, whose NeuroVigil company was partly bankrolled by Musk, painted the Tesla boss as a vengeful man who's bent on dominance. Any makeup with the president will be 'purely cosmetic,' he said to Politico. Over the weekend, Musk reignited his feud with Trump by again criticizing the president's so-called 'big, beautiful bill,' which the Senate is inching toward passage. Musk said the bill will 'destroy millions of jobs in America and cause immense strategic harm to our country.' The message was a bit less personal than during the flameout of their bromance when Musk called the bill an 'abomination' and claimed without evidence that Trump was in the files of sex abuser Jeffrey Epstein. It all unfolded shortly after Musk left his White House gig as Trump's federal workforce slasher in the Department of Government Efficiency. Musk later said he went too far in their spat, as the two publicly patched things up. But it sounds like Trump's strong-arming of the bill through Congress against Musk's wishes and threats to cancel Musk's government contracts during their breakup won't be forgiven. Musk isn't a forgive-and-forget kind of guy, Low said. Low took on Musk as a principal investor in Low's NeuroVigil company in 2015. He later fired Musk from the company's advisory board instead of letting him resign so he couldn't exercise his stock options to harm the company, Politico reported. 'He has been humiliated,' Low said of his former friend's relationship with Trump. 'The whole idea that Elon is going to be on his side and help woo Congress and invest in election campaigns for right-wing judges — Elon might do all of that, but deep down, it's over.' 'Elon has wooed enough of Trump's supporters to be an actual threat politically,' Low continued to Politico. '[Trump] doesn't realize the battle that he has on his hands.' Elon Musk Doubles Down On Distaste Of Trump's Big Bill As Senate Republicans Scramble To Pass It Elon Musk Trashes 'Snake' Trump Aide Who Instigated Fallout With The President 'Big Balls' Quits: 19-Year-Old Musk Protégé Leaves U.S. Government Post [UPDATE]
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The Independent
30-06-2025
- Business
- The Independent
Musk will ‘do everything to damage' Trump and is building political influence to rival MAGA, mogul's former friend reveals
A man who was once close with billionaire Elon Musk warned President Donald Trump that the tech CEO is unforgiving and will do 'everything' to hurt the president, even after the two seemingly made up. 'I've had my share of blowouts with Elon over the years,' Philip Low told POLITICO. 'Knowing Elon the way I know him, I do think he's going to do everything to damage the president.' Low, a neuroscientist who founded the company NeuroVigil, experienced Musk's grudges firsthand when he fired the Tesla CEO from the advisory board of his startup in 2021. He claimed that Musk joined the advisory board for NeuroVigil, which builds a non-invasive brain monitoring device that can be used to detect neurological conditions. But then attempted to leave NeuroVigil's board after starting his brain-implant company Neuralink. Low fired Musk from NeuroVigil's advisory board instead of allowing him to resign to prevent the tech billionaire from using his stock options to hurt NeuroVigil. Low, who has known the tech mogul for 14 years, said he's unconvinced that Musk has forgiven Trump for the verbal battle the two engaged in earlier this month across their respective social media platforms. Musk had a bitter end to his time as an adviser and de facto head of the Department of Government Efficiency after publicly criticizing Trump's 'Big Beautiful Bill' on X. Trump claimed he pushed Musk out for acting 'crazy' and threatened to revoke his lucrative government contracts. In return, Musk accused Trump of being named in the government's investigation of Jeffrey Epstein. Trump has not been accused of any formal wrongdoing or charged with a crime related to the Epstein investigation. Though the two had a bitter falling out on social media, they appear to have reconciled somewhat - something Low branded as 'purely cosmetic' and transactional. 'He (Musk) has been humiliated,' he said. 'The whole idea that Elon is going to be on his side and help woo Congress and invest in election campaigns for right-wing judges — Elon might do all of that, but deep down, it's over.' Indeed, Low is warning that Musk may use his influence to undermine Trump's as a form of revenge. 'It's not a question of if, it's a question of when,' Low said 'Elon has his own pattern of trying to destabilize companies. He wants to take over, and if he can't take them over, then he tries to create a rival entity to compete,' Low said, though Low once noted Neuralink and NeuroVigil are not rivals. 'They were absolutely on a collision course, and I think that Trump tried to gloss over it by making it look as if he wanted Elon to be as aggressive as he was,' Low told POLITICO. Musk used his finances to help Trump get elected last year and his influence to secure a spot in the White House temporarily. Low believes Musk could use that same influence and connections to threaten Trump politically. 'He doesn't realize the battle that he has on his hands, and one way to cut the support away from Elon is to actually adopt some of the things he is for,' Low said.
