US President Donald Trump says Elon Musk has “lost his mind” as reports of a reconciliation between the sparring political allies did not eventuate.
Trump said he was not ready to talk to the Tesla boss after a feud erupted in full public view on Friday (AEST), with Trump and Musk exchanging insults on their social media platforms.
The president was also reportedly planning on selling or giving away the Tesla he had bought with great fanfare a few months ago to support Musk when his electric car brand was copping backlash.
As the public spat on Truth Social and X simmered down, there were reports that Trump and Musk were planning to speak over the phone in a potential truce.
However, Trump told the American ABC on Saturday (AEST) that he was not ready to talk to Musk.
ABC News said the president was asked about reports of a phone call scheduled for later in the day with Musk.
“You mean the man who has lost his mind?” Trump responded.
A separate White House official had also said Trump and Musk were going to converse with each other.
But Trump told CNN: “I’m not even thinking about Elon. He’s got a problem, the poor guy’s got a problem.”
For his part Musk, completely dialled down his social media attack and returned to posting about his businesses and some politics on Saturday (AEST).
The Trump-Musk bromance abruptly soured on Friday (AEST), with the President threatening to strip Musk of government contracts, while the X-owner said Trump should be impeached.
Trump called Musk “crazy” while Musk accused Trump of telling “lies”.
Musk also dropped what he said was “the really big bomb”, alleging – without evidence – that Trump was implicated in the Jeffrey Epstein files.
The bitter stoush between the world’s most powerful leader and the world’s richest man began brewing days ago when Musk denounced Trump’s tax-cut and spending bill just days after leaving his role heading DOGE (Department of Government Efficiency).
The open battle marked a nuclear breakup of a close political alliance.
Musk bankrolled a large part of Trump’s presidential campaign and was then brought to the White House to head up a controversial effort to downsize the federal workforce and slash spending.
The feud is complicating efforts to pass Trump’s “big, beautiful” bill, which is the president’s main demand of the Republican-controlled Congress.
Musk has denounced the package, which contains most of Trump’s domestic priorities, as a “disgusting abomination” that would add too much to the nation’s $36.2 trillion in debt.
The package narrowly passed the House of Representatives last month and is now before the Senate, where Republicans say they will make further changes. Nonpartisan analysts say it would add $2.4 trillion in debt over 10 years.
House Speaker Mike Johnson said he has been in touch with Musk.
“I don’t argue with him about how to build rockets and I wish he wouldn’t argue with me about how to craft legislation and pass it,” he said on CNBC.
Trump had initially stayed quiet while Musk campaigned to torpedo the bill, but broke his silence on Friday, telling reporters he was “very disappointed” in Musk.
“Look, Elon and I had a great relationship. I don’t know if we will anymore,” he said.
The pair then traded barbs on their social media platforms: Trump’s Truth Social and Musk’s X.
“Without me, Trump would have lost the election,” wrote Musk, who spent nearly $300 million backing Trump and other Republicans in last year’s election.
Musk also asserted that Trump’s signature import tariffs would push the US into a recession and responded “Yes” to a post on X saying Trump should be impeached. That would be highly unlikely given Trump’s Republicans hold majorities in both chambers of Congress.
Trump, for his part, suggested he would terminate government contracts with Musk’s businesses, which include rocket company SpaceX and its satellite unit Starlink.
Musk, whose space business plays a critical role in the US government’s space program, responded that he would begin decommissioning SpaceX’s Dragon spacecraft, which is the only US spacecraft capable of sending astronauts to the International Space Station. He backed off the threat later in the day.
Musk had already said he planned to curtail his political spending, and on Tuesday he called for “all politicians who betrayed the American people” to be fired next year.
His involvement with the Trump administration has provoked widespread protests at Tesla sites, driving down sales while investors fretted that Musk’s attention was too divided.
-with AAP/AP
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