Donald Trump has 'no plans' to speak to Elon Musk as feud deepens over tax bill and billions in contracts
Donald Trump says he has no plans to speak with Elon Musk, signalling the US president and his former ally might not resolve their feud over a sweeping tax-cut bill any time soon.
Addressing reporters on Friday aboard Air Force One, Trump said he wasn't 'thinking about' the Tesla CEO.
'I hope he does well with Tesla,' Trump said.
However, Trump said a review of Musk's extensive contracts with the federal government was in order.
'We'll take a look at everything,' the president said.
'It's a lot of money.'
Trump may get rid of the red Tesla Model S that he bought in March after showcasing Musk's electric cars on the White House lawn, a White House official said, speaking on condition of anonymity.
Musk, for his part, did not directly address Trump but kept up his criticism of the massive Republican tax and spending bill that contains much of Trump's domestic agenda.
On his social-media platform X, Musk amplified remarks made by others that Trump's 'big beautiful bill' would hurt Republicans politically and add to the nation's $US36.2 trillion ($A55.8 trillion) debt.
He replied 'exactly' to a post by another X user that said Musk had criticised Congress and Trump had responded by criticising Musk personally.
Musk also declared it was time for a new political party in the United States 'to represent the 80 per cent in the middle!'
People who have spoken to Musk said his anger has begun to recede and they think he will want to repair his relationship with Trump, according to one person who has spoken to Musk's entourage.
The White House statements came one day after the two men battled openly in an extraordinary display of hostilities that marked a stark end to a close alliance.
On Thursday, Musk claimed that President Trump is listed in the Epstein files, alleging this is why they have not been released to the public.
'@RealDonaldTrump is in the Epstein files. That is the real reason they have not been made public,' Musk wrote on X.
'Have a nice day, DJT!'
The White House later responded, calling the claims 'an unfortunate episode from Elon'.
Tesla stock rose on Friday, clawing back some losses from Thursday's session, when it dropped 14 per cent and lost $US150 billion ($A231 billion) in value, the largest single-day decline in the company's history.
Musk, the world's richest person, bankrolled a large part of Trump's 2024 presidential campaign.
Trump named Musk to head a controversial effort to downsize the federal workforce and slash spending.
Trump feted Musk at the White House a week ago as he wrapped up his role as head of the Department of Government Efficiency.
Musk cut only about half of one per cent of total spending, far short of his brash plans to axe $US2 trillion ($A3.1 trillion) from the federal budget.
Since then, Musk has denounced Trump's tax-cut and spending bill as a 'disgusting abomination'.
His opposition is complicating efforts to pass the bill in Congress where Republicans hold a slim majority.
Trump had initially stayed quiet while Musk campaigned to torpedo the bill, but broke his silence on Thursday, telling reporters he was 'very disappointed' in Musk.
Musk, who spent nearly $US300 million ($A462 million) in the 2024 elections, said Trump would have lost without his support and suggested he should be impeached.
Trump suggested he would terminate government contracts with Musk's businesses, which include rocket company SpaceX and its satellite unit Starlink.
The billionaire then threatened to decommission SpaceX's Dragon spacecraft, the only US spacecraft capable of sending astronauts to the International Space Station. Musk later backed off that threat.
A prolonged feud could make it harder for Republicans to keep control of Congress in the 2026 midterm elections if Musk withholds financial support or other major Silicon Valley business leaders distance themselves from Trump.
Musk had already said he planned to curtail his political spending, and on Tuesday called for 'all politicians who betrayed the American people' to be fired in 2026.
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.
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