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Miami Herald
13-06-2025
- Automotive
- Miami Herald
More EVs will support homes during power outages, add energy grid capacity
Some homeowners are looking to electric vehicles to solve their power outage problems this summer. Automakers increasingly are launching EVs equipped with the ability to support bidirectional charging. The technology can allow energy from the vehicle's battery to be directed to power a plugged-in device, to restore power to a home or to return power to the electrical grid. In addition to being a benefit of EV ownership, it could be a revenue generator for customers and help support a robust electrical grid, particularly at times of peak energy demand and as data centers and artificial intelligence increase electrical needs. Leveraging the capabilities of these virtual power plants, however, could set up a battle with the U.S. energy sector. A recent report from solar company Wolf River Electric studying the Event-correlated Outage Dataset in America found Michigan had the most major power outages of U.S. states during the summer months from 2019 to 2023. Tim Addison, 41, of Northville Township, Michigan, is evaluating EV options with bidirectional charging after recently losing his power. It'd been nearly a year since he lost power, but before that, he'd experienced multiple stretches of a couple days without electricity. It's especially a problem because Addison's mother-in-law who lives with his family relies on an oxygen machine. When the house loses power, the family has to go to his mother's house or a hotel. He evaluated a $15,000 to $20,000 home generator as well as energy storage systems, but bidirectional charging looks like the best option for him: "It seems like it makes more sense than having a battery or a Generac you use 10 days out of a year." He's disappointed in how few EV models are capable of bidirectional charging now, but he also feels some pressure potentially to make a decision on a vehicle soon with the "One Big Beautiful" reconciliation budget bill in Washington expected to remove a tax credit of up to $7,500 for EV purchases. "The moment I know the tax legislation is going through, that's when I have to pull the trigger," the tax attorney said. "It just becomes a little bit more expensive." He knows his family also will have to figure out transportation needs if the EV is powering his home. Ryan O'Gorman, 51, of Beverly Hills, Michigan, who owns a 2025 F-150 Lightning, says he'll typically use another one of his family's vehicles if he needs to leave while using the bidirectional charging capability of his truck. "Typically the concern is the refrigerator or freezer, and that it'll thaw," said the energy services manager at Ford. "But that takes hours. So long as you're not going out of town, you're probably fine." About a year ago, O'Gorman used his truck for a three-day power outage at his 1845-built, 3,700-square-foot home, where he loses power a few times a year. It was cool enough where the house didn't need air conditioning, he said, but still, there was power left over in the vehicle. "It took a minute to turn on, but after a couple of hours, you forget it's running off the truck," he said. "The kids were on their phones. We were cooking and doing everything we normally do." Vehicle-to-home Ford Motor Co. in 2022 announced a partnership with solar company Sunrun and claimed to be the first to allow Americans to power their home with their truck. The extended-range model of the F-150 Lightning is capable of powering the average house for three days and up to 10 days with rationing or solar power. The pickups start at $63,345. By 2026, all of General Motors Co.'s EVs will be able to send energy to a residential home (called vehicle-to-home, or V2H) when paired with a GM Energy Home System. "Our commitment to an all-electric future," GM spokesperson Sanaz Marbley said in an email, "is focused not only on delivering a world-class portfolio of electric vehicles, but investing in the EV ecosystem that will enable mass adoption." Chrysler parent Stellantis NV's delayed electric trucks - the Ram 1500 REV and Ramcharger - also have bidirectional charging capability. And the Ramcharger has a 130 kilowatt generator on board, which the company says is close to the power of 10 home generators. Supporting the ability to power a home requires an integration system that converts energy from the truck into power that can be used by the home and connects into the main electrical panel where the grid feeds electricity to the house. The integration system Ford developed with Sunrun costs $3,895 at retail, and installation can be at least another $1,000 more, said Dave McCreadie, a Ford leader in EV-to-grid integration strategy and business development. Programs like Ford's Power Promise that covers the cost of the standard installation of a Level 2 home charger for buyers of a new EV doesn't include the integration system. McCreadie said Ford's system is built to be competitive with Generacs, but unlike a natural gas-powered generator, the EV solution is silent. Generac spokesperson Jonathan Stern in a statement said bidirectional charging remains in its infancy, and some homeowners will prefer a traditional generator to keep their EV charged and ready to get to safety, if needed. "We firmly believe that homeowners won't trade mobility for resiliency," he said. "If they are experiencing a power outage due to a severe weather event such as a hurricane, storm or wildfire, depleting your vehicle's battery to power your home could potentially put evacuation plans at severe risk." Customers of bidirectional chargers can also consider full interconnection. This technology feeds energy back into the grid (vehicle-to-grid, or V2G). McCreadie said it would require a software update and an interconnection agreement with a customer's utility. Not all vehicles with V2H capabilities also support V2G. "These batteries (in EVs) are so large, and the typical driver is only using a fraction of it every day," McCreadie said. "That leaves a lot left over to potentially put to good use for grid needs." That includes days when the power from the grid is flowing, but an EV owner could opt to power their home from their charged-up EV from overnight. They might do this to lower their bill, since electricity prices often are cheaper at night than during the day when there is more energy demand. Ford did a demonstration of this last year in Maryland. "A customer," McCreadie said, "can end up saving tens or dozens of dollars, even maybe as much as $100 per month in an extreme case on their electricity bill." V2G Interconnection also could allow electricity from plugged-in EVs to be sent back to the grid, similar to when residential solar panels produce more energy than is required by a homeowner. In return, a utility might offer an incentive or pay a rate to the EV owner for the electricity that could show up on their bill. Few utilities, however, currently offer these kinds of programs. The state of California is incentivizing bidirectional export compensation, and PG&E Corp., one of the country's largest electrical companies, is offering programs to support that. Detroit-based DTE Energy Co. says it's working with major automakers on bidirectional charging and is testing V2G technology with electric school buses since they typically are available when utilities need energy the most: during peak summer afternoons when demand is greatest. "This is an exciting, emerging technology that is still quite early in the development stage," spokesperson Ryan Lowry said in a statement. "As V2G technology matures, DTE will continue testing applications on the grid while expanding integration efforts, including evaluating export compensation, rate design, and tariffs to support customer participation and grid reliability." Michigan's largest electrical utility, CMS Corp.'s Consumers Energy, says since bidirectional charging technology isn't yet affordable or widely available for most customers, it doesn't offer any customer incentives. "Consumers Energy is committed making EV ownership convenient and affordable," spokesperson Brian Wheeler said in statement, "and we can see a point in a few years where we might play a role to support bidirectional charging as a benefit to customers and the grid." McCreadie said Ford is involved in efforts to lobby for these kinds of programs to residential customers. "There's a whole long story that has to do with net energy metering, and some of the battles that have been waged on what that export rate should be," McCreadie said. "And I think some similar things are happening or going to be happening right now with EVs." He added that power companies are motivated to offer these kinds of programs because peaker power plants that only operate during times of high energy demand are expensive and capital-intensive. Virtual power plant remedies like bidirectional charging eliminate some of the need to invest in more of those forms of generation. Collaboration for expansion A couple recently announced collaborations seek further development in this area. One is ChargeScape LLC, a joint venture among Ford, BMW AG, Honda Motor Co. Ltd. and Nissan Motor Co. Ltd. whose software platform connects EV customers with utilities and automakers, and Leapfrog Power Inc. that does business as Leap. Working together is expected to help automakers obtain information on grid demand and rates to leverage EVs as revenue-generating grid assets efficiently and at scale starting in California and expanding nationwide. The key to that is improving utilities' comfort with interconnection, which could unlock revenue earnings for EV owners of five to 10 times on an annual basis of V2H applications, Leap CEO Jason Michaels said. "There's incredible demand for this, especially if you look at the data centers that are expected to be interconnected," Michaels said. "You're talking about adding something that's equivalent to the entire state of California during the hottest heat wave in terms of load onto our grid. There's just not enough new generation that's available. Gas power plants can't be stood up in time to do it. Even solar and wind can't be deployed fast enough to meet that need. "There's a real need," he continued, "for this capacity to be participating in the grid, providing support and enabling load growth. And we need that load growth to help drive our economy, win the AI battle, have data centers and other things." Also last month,EV charger supplier ChargePoint Holdings Inc. and power management company Eaton Corp. plc announced a partnership toward creating a one-stop solution for EV charging equipment that supports bidirectional charging. "To make charging more accessible, you need access to charging infrastructure," Paul Ryan, Eaton's general manager of energy transition, said about addressing a major challenge to EV adoption. "You need more charges, whether that's on public corridor highways or in the homes. So, we need to be able to streamline this so it shouldn't be complicated. This partnership is focusing on innovation, streamlining installation and improving reliability." Hossein Kazemi, ChargePoint's chief technology officer for hardware, noted helping the country turn to EVs could double grid capacity in North America. "As the EV adoption continues," Kazemi said, "the need for the power from the utility is going to go up, and at some point, definitely the grid interactive features are going to be very important to have on the chargers." Copyright (C) 2025, Tribune Content Agency, LLC. Portions copyrighted by the respective providers.
Yahoo
13-06-2025
- Automotive
- Yahoo
Tesla analyst makes surprise move on stock ahead of Robotaxi debut
Tesla analyst makes surprise move on stock ahead of Robotaxi debut originally appeared on TheStreet. Maybe Elon Musk should make a stop in Paris. The Tesla () chief executive and former head of the Department of Government Efficiency has been on what analysts have described as an apology tour after his much-publicized falling out with President Donald Trump. 💵💰Don't miss the move: Subscribe to TheStreet's free daily newsletter 💰 Musk said on his X social-media platform that he regretted some of his posts about Trump, saying "they went too far." Yeah, you could probably say that, seeing as how Musk said Trump's One Big Beautiful budget bill was a "disgusting abomination"; called for Trump to be impeached; said the president wouldn't have been elected without him; and implied that Trump's name was in Justice Department files regarding the convicted pedophile Jeffrey Epstein. In response, Trump said Musk had "lost his mind." The president threatened to cancel Musk's government contracts, which have been valued at roughly $38 billion. Musk reportedly called Trump and deleted some of his nastier posts, including the impeachment comment and the Epstein accusation. Meanwhile, a coalition of 10 Tesla owners in France is suing Tesla over Musk's former role in the White House and support of the far right in Europe, Politico reported. "They don't want to be associated anymore with Tesla or personified by Elon Musk and his recent political stances," said Ivan Terel, a partner for GKA, a Paris law firm representing the owners. GKA filed the suit in the Paris Commercial Court on Wednesday, seeking to have the vehicle leases voided and for its clients to be repaid the original cost of ownership, plus other damages. Tesla sales have tumbled across Europe after Musk spoke at a rally for the far-right Alternative for Germany (AfD) party in January, telling the crowd it was time for Germany to "move on" from its Nazi past. The remarks sparked calls to boycott the EV is all going on as Tesla gets ready to launch the long-awaited Robotaxi, the company's autonomous ride-hailing service, which Musk said is slated tentatively to begin on June 22. A Tesla Robotaxi has been spotted on Austin streets, according to a video posted on X and reshared by Musk, according to NBC News. The 10-second video showed the Tesla slowly turning left off an avenue in the state capital, as two pedestrians walk in a crosswalk just ahead. No one appeared to be in the driver's seat, but someone appeared to be in the front passenger's seat, while the rear windows were tinted, NBC said. Tesla stock has been climbing recently after Musk buried the hatchet with Trump. The company's shares are down about 19% year-to-date but up about 91% from this time in 2024. At last check on June 12 the shares were trading around $326. Investment firms have been issuing research notes on Tesla, including Piper Sandler analyst Alexander Potter. He affirmed an overweight rating with a $400 price target on the company and contended that the stock will likely sustain its upward momentum over the coming warns, however, that any high-profile robotaxi accidents would likely be met with "violent downside," according to The Fly. Wells Fargo said most of Tesla's May delivery results are now public. It noted that global deliveries once again were trending meaningfully weaker, with May trending 23% lower from a year earlier and second-quarter-to-date trending down 21%. The investment firm rates the shares underweight with a price target of $120. And JP Morgan analyst Ryan Brinkman recommended selling Tesla shares and buying stock in auto-supply companies Aptiv () and BorgWarner () . The JP Morgan analyst said he saw an opportunity in U.S. auto-supplier shares. He said they have underperformed those of the U.S. automakers since the Trump administration unveiled its tariff policy. That market weakness came even though headwinds from the Trump administration's tariffs and other regulatory changes appeared "much more benign for suppliers than for automakers," Brinkman wrote. Tesla and electric-vehicle maker Rivian () are less affected by tariffs than General Motors () and Ford () are, Brinkman said. But he also warned that planned legislative cuts to electric-vehicle subsidies could cut substantially into both EV makers' profits. Such subsidy cuts have been advancing in Congress alongside the president's actions on tariffs and subsequent trade negotiations, the analyst analyst makes surprise move on stock ahead of Robotaxi debut first appeared on TheStreet on Jun 12, 2025 This story was originally reported by TheStreet on Jun 12, 2025, where it first appeared. Error in retrieving data Sign in to access your portfolio Error in retrieving data Error in retrieving data Error in retrieving data Error in retrieving data
Miami Herald
12-06-2025
- Automotive
- Miami Herald
Tesla analyst makes surprise move on stock ahead of Robotaxi debut
Maybe Elon Musk should make a stop in Paris. The Tesla (TSLA) chief executive and former head of the Department of Government Efficiency has been on what analysts have described as an apology tour after his much-publicized falling out with President Donald Trump. Don't miss the move: Subscribe to TheStreet's free daily newsletter Musk said on his X social-media platform that he regretted some of his posts about Trump, saying "they went too far." Yeah, you could probably say that, seeing as how Musk said Trump's One Big Beautiful budget bill was a "disgusting abomination"; called for Trump to be impeached; said the president wouldn't have been elected without him; and implied that Trump's name was in Justice Department files regarding the convicted pedophile Jeffrey Epstein. In response, Trump said Musk had "lost his mind." The president threatened to cancel Musk's government contracts, which have been valued at roughly $38 billion. Musk reportedly called Trump and deleted some of his nastier posts, including the impeachment comment and the Epstein a coalition of 10 Tesla owners in France is suing Tesla over Musk's former role in the White House and support of the far right in Europe, Politico reported. "They don't want to be associated anymore with Tesla or personified by Elon Musk and his recent political stances," said Ivan Terel, a partner for GKA, a Paris law firm representing the owners. GKA filed the suit in the Paris Commercial Court on Wednesday, seeking to have the vehicle leases voided and for its clients to be repaid the original cost of ownership, plus other damages. Tesla sales have tumbled across Europe after Musk spoke at a rally for the far-right Alternative for Germany (AfD) party in January, telling the crowd it was time for Germany to "move on" from its Nazi past. The remarks sparked calls to boycott the EV brand. Related: Analysts turns heads with surprise Tesla rating ahead of Robotaxi launch This is all going on as Tesla gets ready to launch the long-awaited Robotaxi, the company's autonomous ride-hailing service, which Musk said is slated tentatively to begin on June 22. A Tesla Robotaxi has been spotted on Austin streets, according to a video posted on X and reshared by Musk, according to NBC News. The 10-second video showed the Tesla slowly turning left off an avenue in the state capital, as two pedestrians walk in a crosswalk just ahead. No one appeared to be in the driver's seat, but someone appeared to be in the front passenger's seat, while the rear windows were tinted, NBC said. Tesla stock has been climbing recently after Musk buried the hatchet with Trump. The company's shares are down about 19% year-to-date but up about 91% from this time in 2024. At last check on June 12 the shares were trading around $326. Investment firms have been issuing research notes on Tesla, including Piper Sandler analyst Alexander Potter. He affirmed an overweight rating with a $400 price target on the company and contended that the stock will likely sustain its upward momentum over the coming weeks. Related: Tesla faces new challenge as leader announces exit Piper warns, however, that any high-profile robotaxi accidents would likely be met with "violent downside," according to The Fly. Wells Fargo said most of Tesla's May delivery results are now public. It noted that global deliveries once again were trending meaningfully weaker, with May trending 23% lower from a year earlier and second-quarter-to-date trending down 21%. The investment firm rates the shares underweight with a price target of $120. And JP Morgan analyst Ryan Brinkman recommended selling Tesla shares and buying stock in auto-supply companies Aptiv (APTV) and BorgWarner (BWA) . The JP Morgan analyst said he saw an opportunity in U.S. auto-supplier shares. He said they have underperformed those of the U.S. automakers since the Trump administration unveiled its tariff policy. That market weakness came even though headwinds from the Trump administration's tariffs and other regulatory changes appeared "much more benign for suppliers than for automakers," Brinkman wrote. Tesla and electric-vehicle maker Rivian (RIVN) are less affected by tariffs than General Motors (GM) and Ford (F) are, Brinkman said. But he also warned that planned legislative cuts to electric-vehicle subsidies could cut substantially into both EV makers' profits. Such subsidy cuts have been advancing in Congress alongside the president's actions on tariffs and subsequent trade negotiations, the analyst said. Related: Fund-management veteran skips emotion in investment strategy The Arena Media Brands, LLC THESTREET is a registered trademark of TheStreet, Inc.
Yahoo
06-06-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
A complete guide to the Trump vs. Musk feud
In early June 2025, U.S. President Donald Trump and tech billionaire Elon Musk's once-close relationship turned ugly as the two traded barbs on social media. Social media users, in turn, speculated about why the two were fighting. The relationship between Musk and Trump, according to reporting from reputable news outlets, had been complicated for months, despite public amicability. Trump's team had become increasingly frustrated with Musk's erratic behavior and his slash-and-burn mentality as the public face of the Department of Government Efficiency, according to these reports. Things appeared to begin falling apart publicly when Trump pulled the nomination of a Musk ally to lead NASA, citing past donations to Democrats, and Musk started attacking Trump's trade adviser and tariffs architect, Peter Navarro. On June 3, Musk posted on X that he "just can't stand it anymore," and attacked Trump's One Big Beautiful Bill Act, calling it a "disgusting abomination" and criticizing it for increasing the national debt. Trump, in response, said he was "very disappointed" with Musk and alleged the world's richest man was really angry about the bill's electric-vehicle tax-credit cuts, which would hurt Musk's car company, Tesla. It's true that the bill would increase the national debt, and that Trump reversed his position on increasing the debt ceiling — the limit lawmakers set to how much money the government can borrow. It's also true that the bill would cut tax credits benefiting Tesla. Thus, it is likely that even if there is more going on than what is publicly known, the fight does, at least in part, have to do with Trump's budget bill. U.S. President Donald Trump and tech billionaire Elon Musk, a former special government employee and Trump adviser, once presented themselves as the ultimate bromance in U.S. politics — but as their relationship crashed and burned in mid-2025, speculation and questions about what caused their very public breakup circulated online. "Who else still doesn't understand why Elon Musk and Donald Trump are fighting?" wrote one confused X user. The fight between Musk and Trump appeared to center around Musk's criticism of Trump's One Big Beautiful Bill of tax breaks and spending cuts, which Musk called a "disgusting abomination." Trump, on the other hand, lamented that he once "had" a great relationship with Musk and claimed Musk's anger was over cuts to electric-vehicle tax credits in the bill — credits that would have benefited Musk's car company, Tesla. "I'll tell you, he's not the first," Trump said (at 1:13). "People leave my administration and they love us, and then at some point they miss it so badly. And some of them embrace it and some of them actually become hostile. I don't know what it is, it's sort of 'Trump derangement syndrome' I guess they call it." Still, news outlets and late-night hosts speculated about the "real reasons" Musk was feuding with Trump. Some X users alleged Musk had simply pretended to support Trump to receive the EV subsidies. Meanwhile, conspiracy theorists argued that the fight was planned as a distraction or so Musk could sell cars to liberals and Trump could stop appearing beholden to the world's richest man. Much of what we know about Trump and Musk's relationship comes from reporting based on anonymous sources inside the White House who fear losing their jobs, making it impossible to definitively determine based on public information if there was a "real" reason for the spat. In response to an inquiry, the White House ignored detailed questions asking for evidence of various claims and allegations made by Trump and Musk, instead providing a boilerplate statement that had been sent to Snopes previously. "This is an unfortunate episode from Elon, who is unhappy with the One Big Beautiful Bill because it does not include the policies he wanted. The President is focused on passing this historic piece of legislation and making our country great again," read the statement from Karoline Leavitt, the White House press secretary. Below, we break down what has been reported, what Trump and Musk have said and what they appear to be fighting about: Musk and Trump's close relationship publicly began when the SpaceX founder endorsed Trump for president on July 13, 2024, in an X post following an assassination attempt on the president in Pennsylvania. Musk poured nearly $300 million into Trump's campaign, and shortly after Trump won, he appointed Musk to head the Department of Government Efficiency, a new initiative dedicated to cutting government spending. As Musk used a literal chain saw to promote his cuts to government agencies, outwardly, the two could not have been more agreeable to each other. However, reputable news outlets — citing anonymous sources in the White House — painted a more complicated story. In March, The New York Times reported cabinet officials were growing increasingly frustrated with the billionaire's "unchecked power," culminating in an explosive meeting over Musk's efforts to slash spending via mass layoffs of federal workers. The meeting, the Times reported, "yielded the first significant indication that Mr. Trump is willing to put some limits on Mr. Musk," as Trump reportedly said that from that point on, "the secretaries would be in charge; the Musk team would only advise." In April, the The Wall Street Journal reported that Trump and Musk spent time together almost every weekend, and that Trump admired Musk's humor and wealth — and the interest other world leaders took in Musk. The story also noted Trump's attempts to smooth over Musk's tense relationship with his cabinet officials. But the WSJ reported in May that the president and his staffers had expressed various frustrations over Musk's erratic messaging and his deep investment in a Wisconsin Supreme Court race. The candidate Musk backed, Brad Schimel, was a conservative backed by the Republican Party, but White House aides believed he would not win the race and it would become a referendum on Musk and Trump. (They were right.) Axios reported in June that Musk wanted the Federal Aviation Administration to use his Starlink satellite system for national air traffic control — but "the administration balked at it because of the appearance of a conflict of interest and for technological reasons." Snopes has not independently verified the reports from Axios, The Wall Street Journal and The New York Times. On April 5, news outlets reported that Musk posted, then deleted, an X post disparaging Trump's top trade adviser, Peter Navarro. "A PhD in Econ from Harvard is a bad thing, not a good thing," Musk said in reference to Navarro's degree, adding that Navarro "hadn't built s***." On April 8, Musk called Navarro a slur for developmentally disabled people, "truly a moron" and "dumber than a sack of bricks" in several X posts. Musk's frustrations with Navarro appeared to be over Trump's tariff policy, which Navarro was largely in charge of. (Musk said in an X post on June 5 that he believed Trump's tariffs would cause a recession in "the second half this year.") Musk then began publicly criticizing the One Big Beautiful Bill Act in a May 27 interview with CBS News, saying he was "disappointed" to see that the "massive spending bill" would increase the budget deficit, adding that it "undermines the work DOGE has been doing" (see 6:00). "I think a bill can be big or it can be beautiful, but I don't know if it can be both," he said. The next day, Musk announced that his "scheduled time" as a special government employee was coming to an end. Trump presented Musk with a key to the White House on May 30 and called him an "incredible patriot" (see 11:40). Musk said he'd "expect to remain a friend and an adviser" and that he was "at the president's service" (see 20:13). Axios reported, however, that Musk had discussed trying to stay in that role beyond the 130-day time limit for special government employees but White House officials denied the request. On June 1, Trump announced on Truth Social that he would withdraw a nomination of a Musk ally, Jared Isaacman, to head NASA after a "thorough review of prior associations." Based on other comments, Trump was likely referring to Isaacman's past donations to Democrats — but Axios reported that for Musk, the withdrawal was the "final straw." "I'm not going to play dumb on this — I don't think timing was much of a coincidence. … There were other changes going on the same day," Isaacman said at the 50:04 mark in an "All-In Podcast" episode published June 4, presumably referencing Musk's departure. On June 3, Musk posted that he "just can't stand it anymore." "This massive, outrageous, pork-filled Congressional spending bill is a disgusting abomination," he wrote. Over the next few days, Musk's X feed largely consisted of criticizing the budget bill. He repeatedly raised concerns over "debt slavery" — enslavement for unpaid debts — and the bill's potential effect on the national deficit. He began outright lobbying against the bill, calling on his followers to "kill the bill." In a June 5 Oval Office meeting with German Chancellor Friedrich Merz, Trump said he was "very disappointed" to see Musk's tirade (see 4:09). "I've always liked Elon, and so I was very surprised," Trump said. "He hasn't said anything about me that's bad. I'd rather have him criticize me than the bill, because the bill is incredible. It's the biggest cut in the history of this country." Trump claimed Musk "knew the inner workings" of the bill better than many in the administration and "had no problem with it" until they cut the EV subsidies (see 21:07). (Musk said on X that the president's comments were false and the bill "was never shown to me even once.") The president also alleged that Musk was unhappy about the administration's decision to reverse Isaacman's nomination to lead NASA (see 15:03). "He said the most beautiful things about me. And he hasn't said bad about me personally, but I'm sure that'll be next," Trump said (see 21:55). "But I'm very disappointed in Elon. I helped Elon a lot." As Trump predicted, Musk turned to personal attacks: Musk claimed Trump wouldn't have won the election without him, amplified a call for Trump's impeachment and alleged the Trump administration hasn't released files related to deceased sex offender Jeffrey Epstein because the president is in them. Minutes before Musk posted about the Epstein files, Trump posted on his Truth Social account, "Elon was 'wearing thin,' I asked him to leave, I took away his EV Mandate that forced everyone to buy Electric Cars that nobody else wanted (that he knew for months I was going to do!), and he just went CRAZY!" Minutes after Musk posted his allegations that Trump was in unreleased Epstein-related files, Trump appeared to respond, without directly referencing Musk's claim. Trump's post read, "I don't mind Elon turning against me, but he should have done so months ago. This is one of the Greatest Bills ever presented to Congress. It's a Record Cut in Expenses, $1.6 Trillion Dollars, and the Biggest Tax Cut ever given. If this Bill doesn't pass, there will be a 68% Tax Increase, and things far worse than that. I didn't create this mess, I'm just here to FIX IT. This puts our Country on a Path of Greatness. MAKE AMERICA GREAT AGAIN!" Trump also threatened to take away Musk's government contracts in a Truth Social post the same day: "The easiest way to save money in our Budget, Billions and Billions of Dollars, is to terminate Elon's Governmental Subsidies and Contracts. I was always surprised that Biden didn't do it!" Musk, in a now-deleted response, threatened to decommission the SpaceX capsule used to take astronauts and supplies to the International Space Station — before backing off from the threat after an X user pleaded with him to cool off. Let's discuss the actual policy the two men appear to be fighting about: the One Big Beautiful Bill Act. First, a quick recap: Musk's criticisms of the bill, at least publicly, center on his belief it will increase the federal deficit. Trump says Musk is mad over the administration's decision to remove electric-vehicle tax credits — what the president called an "EV mandate" — from the bill. While Musk initially supported eliminating the EV tax credit in 2023, he appears to have reversed his stance. The budget bill includes the elimination of a tax credit worth roughly as much as $7,500 for some Tesla models and other electric vehicles by Dec. 31, 2025, seven years ahead of schedule — see Section 112002 of the bill, "TERMINATION OF CLEAN VEHICLE CREDIT." JP Morgan estimated Tesla would lose $1.2 billion over the elimination, according to Bloomberg. Thus, it is accurate to say Musk stands to lose money over the removal of the tax credit. But Musk, in response to Trump's comments in the Oval Office, claimed on X that he cared more about what he believed was wasteful spending in the bill. "Whatever," he said. "Keep the EV/solar incentive cuts in the bill, even though no oil & gas subsidies are touched (very unfair!!), but ditch the MOUNTAIN of DISGUSTING PORK in the bill." Musk's attacks centered on what he believed was Trump's about-face on raising the debt ceiling — a limit Congress sets as to how much money the government can borrow — as well as the fact the budget bill would increase the deficit. Part of Musk's tirade against Trump involved him pulling out old Trump posts about the deficit to paint the president as a hypocrite. It is true that Trump was against raising the federal deficit before he became president — but he raised the ceiling multiple times during his first term. In a June 4 Truth Social post, he said he wanted to abolish the debt limit entirely "to prevent an Economic catastrophe." The nonpartisan Congressional Budget Office estimated the bill would increase the federal deficit by $2.4 trillion through 2034; that would grow to $3 trillion with interest, according to an analysis by the nonpartisan Committee for a Responsible Federal Budget — and $5 trillion with interest if temporary tax cuts were made permanent. As Trump had touted, the package also cuts spending by about $1.3 trillion, with most of that coming from cuts to Medicaid and food assistance, according to the CBO. The bill would thus necessitate raising the debt ceiling, as the ceiling as of 2025 is $36.1 trillion, which the United States has already breached — the national debt, as of this writing, was $36.2 trillion, forcing the United States to take what's called "extraordinary measures" to temporarily prevent a default on the debt. Defaulting, the Department of the Treasury said, would result in "catastrophic repercussions." Private arguments and issues the Trump team had with Musk may have led to this very public fight, according to reputable news outlets. While the center of the fight appeared to be the One Big Beautiful Bill Act, the two were already at odds over Trump pulling the nomination of a Musk ally to lead NASA and Musk's opposition to Trump's tariff policy and the architect behind it, to name a few incidents. In early June, Musk began attacking the budget bill, leading Trump to say he was "very disappointed" in the tech billionaire before posting a few of his own responses on Truth Social. Aside from Musk attacking the bill as being bloated and financially irresponsible, Musk also attacked Trump's character. Trump alleged Musk was actually upset with the bill's electric-vehicle tax-credit cuts and said the easiest way to reduce spending would be to take Musk's government contracts away. In terms of the policy discussion, it is true the bill increases spending and the national debt, as Musk claimed, and it is true ending the EV tax credit would likely harm Tesla. At the end of the day, we can't say exactly what is going on in either man's their head, making it impossible to know whether there's more to the fight — but the evidence suggests the budget bill is at least one major sticking point for the relationship. Al Jazeera. "'I Love the President': Trump, Musk Heap on Praise in Gushy Interview." Al Jazeera, 19 Feb. 2025, Accessed 6 June 2025. "Alaska on X: "@Elonmusk @SpaceX This Is a Shame This Back and Forth. …." 6 June 2025, Accessed 6 June 2025. All-In Podcast. "Jared Isaacman: What Went Wrong at NASA | the All-in Interview." YouTube, 4 June 2025, Accessed 6 June 2025. Arrington, Jodey C. "Text - H.R.1 - 119th Congress (2025-2026): One Big Beautiful Bill Act." Accessed 6 June 2025. Associated Press. "WATCH: Elon Musk Waves Chainsaw on Stage at CPAC." YouTube, 20 Feb. 2025, Accessed 6 June 2025. "Breaking down the One Big Beautiful Bill | Committee for a Responsible Federal Budget." Committee for a Responsible Federal Budget, 21 May 2025, Accessed 6 June 2025. Caputo, Marc. "Scoop: Four Reasons Musk Attacked Trump's 'Big Beautiful Bill.'" Axios, 3 June 2025, Accessed 6 June 2025. Clough, Rick, and Kara Carlson. "Elon Musk Escalates Attacks on Trump Tax Bill, Sending Tesla (TSLA) Plunging." Bloomberg, 5 June 2025, Accessed 6 June 2025. CNN. "Elon Musk Exits Government Role." Accessed 6 June 2025. Congressional Budget Office. "Debt-Service Effects Derived from H.R. 1, the One Big Beautiful Bill Act." Congressional Budget Office, 5 June 2025, Accessed 6 June 2025. Dawsey, Josh, et al. "Inside Elon Musk and Trump's Complicated and Tense Relationship." The Wall Street Journal, 31 May 2025, Accessed 6 June 2025. ---. "Inside Elon Musk's Shock-And-Awe Months in the White House." The Wall Street Journal, 5 Apr. 2025, Accessed 6 June 2025. Deng, Grace. "What to Know about Trump, Musk and the Dismantling of USAID." Snopes, 5 Feb. 2025, Accessed 6 June 2025. "Donor Lookup." OpenSecrets, Accessed 6 June 2025. Face the Nation. "Trump and Musk Take Questions as Tesla CEO Exits 'Special Government Employee' Post." YouTube, 30 May 2025, Accessed 6 June 2025. "Federal Debt and the Debt Limit in 2025." Accessed 6 June 2025. "Interactive: Recent History of the Debt Limit | Bipartisan Policy Center." Accessed 6 June 2025. Izzo, Jack. "Yes, Musk Shared Post Calling for Trump's Impeachment." Snopes, 5 June 2025, Accessed 6 June 2025. Liles, Jordan. "Yes, Musk Alleged Trump Appears in the Epstein Files." Snopes, 5 June 2025, Accessed 6 June 2025. Loe, Megan. "Musk Said 'Trump Would Have Lost the Election' without Him." Snopes, 5 June 2025, Accessed 6 June 2025. Musk, Elon. "Elon Musk on X: "@Mrp @RealPNavarro @JoeSquawk @SquawkCNBC Navarro Is…." 9 Apr. 2025, Accessed 6 June 2025. ---. "Elon Musk on X: "@Mrp @RealPNavarro @JoeSquawk @SquawkCNBC Tesla Has …." 9 Apr. 2025, Accessed 6 June 2025. ---. "Elon Musk on X: '💯' / X." X (formerly Twitter), 5 June 2025, Accessed 6 June 2025. ---. "Elon Musk on X: "a New Spending Bill Should Be Drafted That Doesn't M…." 4 June 2025, Accessed 6 June 2025. ---. "Elon Musk on X: 'America Is in the Fast Lane to Debt Slavery' / X." 4 June 2025, Accessed 6 June 2025. ---. "Elon Musk on X: "Call Your Senator, Call Your Congressman, Bankruptin…." 5 June 2025, Accessed 6 June 2025. ---. "Elon Musk on X: "False, This Bill Was Never Shown to Me Even Once And…." 5 June 2025, Accessed 6 June 2025. ---. "Elon Musk on X: "in Light of the President's Statement about Cancella…." 5 June 2025, Accessed 6 June 2025. ---. "Elon Musk on X: "Mammoth Spending Bills Are Bankrupting America! ENOU…." 4 June 2025, Accessed 6 June 2025. ---. "Elon Musk on X: "the Trump Tariffs Will Cause a Recession in the Seco…." 5 June 2025, Accessed 6 June 2025. ---. "Elon Musk on X: "This Immense Level of Overspending Will Drive Americ…." 4 June 2025, Accessed 6 June 2025. ---. "Elon Musk on X: "This Spending Bill Contains the Largest Increase In …." 4 June 2025, Accessed 6 June 2025. ---. "Elon Musk on X: "Whatever. Keep the EV/Solar Incentive Cuts in the Bi…." 5 June 2025, Accessed 6 June 2025. ---. "Elon Musk on X: 'Where Is This Guy Today??' / X." 5 June 2025, Accessed 6 June 2025. ---. "Elon Musk on X: 'Wise Words' / X." 5 June 2025, Accessed 6 June 2025. ---. "Good Advice. Ok, We Won't Decommission Dragon." 6 June 2025, Accessed 6 June 2025. ---. "I Fully Endorse President Trump and Hope for His Rapid Recovery." X (Formerly Twitter), 13 July 2024, Accessed 6 June 2025. ---. "I'm Sorry, but I Just Can't Stand It Anymore. This Massive, Outrageous, Pork-Filled Congressional Spending Bill Is a Disgusting Abomination. Shame on Those Who Voted for It: You Know You Did Wrong. You Know It." X (Formerly Twitter), 3 June 2025, Accessed 6 June 2025. PBS NewsHour. "WATCH: Trump Says He's 'Very Disappointed' in Elon Musk after Criticism of President's Budget Bill." YouTube, 5 June 2025, Accessed 6 June 2025. "Statement by President-Elect Donald J. Trump Announcing That Elon Musk and Vivek Ramaswamy Will Lead the Department of Government Efficiency ('DOGE') | the American Presidency Project." 12 Nov. 2024, Accessed 6 June 2025. Swan, Jonathan, and Maggie Haberman. "Rubio and Trump Officials Clash with Elon Musk in an Explosive Meeting." The New York Times, 7 Mar. 2025, Accessed 6 June 2025. Taija PerryCook. "Every DOGE Rumor We've Fact-Checked so Far." Snopes, 15 Mar. 2025, Accessed 6 June 2025. Talcott, Shelby. "'A Battle Elon Won't Win': Musk Takes on Trump Trade Guru Peter Navarro." 6 Apr. 2025, Accessed 6 June 2025. Thadani, Trisha, et al. "Elon Musk Donated $288 Million in 2024 Election, Final Tally Shows." Washington Post, The Washington Post, 31 Jan. 2025, Accessed 6 June 2025. Trump, Donald J. "Donald J. Trump on X: "No Member of Congress Should Be Eligible for R…." 31 July 2012, Accessed 6 June 2025. ---. "Elon Was 'Wearing Thin,' I Asked Him to Leave, I Took Away His EV Mandate That Forced Everyone to Buy Electric Cars That Nobody Else Wanted (That He Knew for Months I Was Going to Do!), and He Just Went CRAZY!" Truth Social, 5 June 2025, Accessed 6 June 2025. ---. "I Am Very Pleased to Announce That, after All of These Years, I Agree with Senator Elizabeth Warren on SOMETHING. The Debt Limit Should Be Entirely Scrapped to Prevent an Economic Catastrophe. It Is Too Devastating to Be Put in the Hands of Political People That May Want to Use It despite the Horrendous Effect It Could Have on Our Country And, Indirectly, Even the World. As to Senator Warren's Second Statement on the $4 Trillion Dollars, I like That Also, but It Would Have to Be Done over a Period of Time, as Short as Possible. Let's Get Together, Republican and Democrat, and DO THIS!" Truth Social, 4 June 2025, Accessed 6 June 2025. ---. "I Don't Mind Elon Turning against Me, but He Should Have Done so Months Ago. This Is One of the Greatest Bills Ever Presented to Congress. It's a Record Cut in Expenses, $1.6 Trillion Dollars, and the Biggest Tax Cut Ever Given. If This Bill Doesn't Pass, There Will Be a 68% Tax Increase, and Things Far Worse than That. I Didn't Create This Mess, I'm Just Here to FIX IT. This Puts Our Country on a Path of Greatness. MAKE AMERICA GREAT AGAIN!" Truth Social, 5 June 2025, Accessed 6 June 2025. ---. "The Easiest Way to Save Money in Our Budget, Billions and Billions of Dollars, Is to Terminate Elon's Governmental Subsidies and Contracts. I Was Always Surprised That Biden Didn't Do It!" Truth Social, 5 June 2025, Accessed 6 June 2025. "Truth Details | Truth Social." 5 June 2025, Accessed 6 June 2025. US Treasury. "What Is the National Debt?" Accessed 6 June 2025. Wall, Mike. "Senator Grills Jared Isaacman, Trump's Pick for NASA Chief, about Elon Musk's Involvement in His Job Interview (Video)." Space, 10 Apr. 2025, Accessed 6 June 2025. Wazer, Caroline. "Musk Said He's Leaving the White House. Here's What We Do (and Don't) Know about the Departure." Snopes, 29 May 2025, Accessed 6 June 2025. White House. "President Trump Participates in a Bilateral Meeting with the Chancellor of Germany." 5 June 2025, Accessed 6 June 2025. Yellen, Janet. DEPARTMENT of the TREASURY | Letter to Rep. Mike Johnson. 17 Jan. 2025, Accessed 6 June 2025.
Yahoo
03-06-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
Unpacking rumor that Stephen Miller's wife, Katie, left him for Elon Musk
In late May and early June 2025, rumors swirled that the wife of White House adviser Stephen Miller, Katie Miller, had left him for tech magnate Elon Musk, who until then had served as the new U.S. Department of Government Efficiency's public face. Some internet users even suggested that the affair had started with Stephen Miller's consent in an arrangement some described as a "throuple." For example, user @ on Bluesky relayed these claims: (Bluesky user @ The post read: Oh I am not sh**posting, folks. Stephen Miller, his wife, and Elon are widely rumored to be a throuple. Now Miller's wife is leaving the Trump team to be with Musk & LITERALLY PER THE NEW YORK TIMES Stephen is angrily subtweeting Musk. They actually put it in the paper of record that he was mad The post on Bluesky had received 7,600 likes and 3,200 reshares as of this writing. The same rumor appeared several times on Bluesky, but also on X, where the official account of the Democratic National Committee tagged Miller in its post of a single empty chair in a supposed hotel room in reaction to rumors that Miller's wife had left government to work for Musk in the private sector (archived): The empty chair represented a meme known as the "cuck chair," a chair on which someone supposedly sits while they watch their spouse have sex with someone else. This post had amassed 2.1 million views and 32,000 likes as of this writing, further spreading the unsubstantiated claim that Miller had cheated on her husband with Musk. Snopes has reached out to the Miller couple and Musk, seeking details. However, because we were not able to confirm or disprove the story, we have left it unrated. The rumor started as Musk, CEO of Tesla and owner of SpaceX, announced his departure from DOGE. Bluesky user Snyder (to whom we have reached out for comment and await a reply) referenced a New York Times story published on May 28, 2025, which indeed referenced Miller criticizing Musk on X without naming him. Miller posted on X (archived) in response to Musk lambasting the "One Big Beautiful" budget bill the U.S. House of Representatives had voted on, which experts, including analysts at the Tax Foundation, said would cause the budget deficit to balloon. The article read: However, Stephen Miller, the White House deputy chief of staff for policy, shot back at Mr. Musk on social media without naming him. Mr. Miller asserted that the bill would reduce the deficit — despite multiple independent analyses saying otherwise — and noted that the cuts made by Mr. Musk's team were unrelated to the spending bill. Lower down in the thread on Bluesky, Snyder linked to a story published on Feb. 27, 2025, in Wired, which Snyder said "strongly implied throupledom." The story explained that while Stephen Miller had assumed the position of White House deputy chief of staff for policy and homeland security adviser, his wife had been appointed as "top communications official at DOGE," directly with Musk. Citing an anonymous Republican source, the story went on to suggest that this had been by design: The Millers are seen inside Trumpworld as glorified babysitters for Musk, tasked with ensuring he stays within bounds, insofar as that's possible. "He gets a lot of grace," the first Republican said of Musk. "Many people aren't nervous, because Stephen Miller is deeply involved. And Katie." This Republican compared Musk to a preteen child. However, the Wired story implied more salacious suspicions about the relationship between the Millers and Musk without making them explicit: Musk's relationship with the Millers has become a subject of great intrigue in Washington as DOGE continues to wreak havoc on the federal government. Little is known about how often they interact outside of work and how the relationship grew over the late stages of the campaign into the transition. "If you can find out anything about Stephen Miller's social life, I don't wanna know the answer," says a longtime Republican operative who knows the couple personally. Given the anonymous sourcing, Snopes was unable to independently verify Wired's reporting. We have reached out to Snyder on Bluesky asking if the user heard the rumor independently. However, on May 28, 2025, a CNN report that Katie Miller had left DOGE to work for Musk full time gave new life to claims that the relationship between Musk and the pair was more complicated than it seemed. Citing three unnamed sources, CNN said Miller was now helping arrange interviews for Musk. Snopes was unable to independently verify CNN's reporting because it was based on anonymous sources. Though several internet users took it to mean that she had left her husband, with whom she shares three children, the reality is that Katie Miller had the status of "special government employee," which precluded her working more than 130 days per year for the U.S. government. As such, she would have had to leave government work regardless of which job she took on after her stint at DOGE. While she did not confirm the story, she had reshared on X one post by Musk regarding his departure from the government, as well as a screen capture of one of his quotes about DOGE, suggesting she may indeed be working as his spokeswoman. Two days later, on May 30, 2025, Musk stood in the White House Oval Office, speaking to the press alongside U.S. President Donald Trump about his return to the private sector. Musk appeared with a bruise around his right eye. While Musk said he owed his black eye to his son, whom he said he had instructed to punch him, the internet once again lit up with speculation (archived): The post had gained 2.7 million views and 41,000 likes as of this writing. Snopes reached out to the Millers as well as Musk asking them to provide further details. We will update this report should they respond. "'Big Beautiful Bill' House GOP Tax Plan: Preliminary Details and Analysis." Tax Foundation, 13 May 2025, Accessed 2 June 2025. "Elon Musk Bids Farewell to White House but Says Doge Will Continue." BBC, 29 May 2025, Accessed 2 June 2025. Hamilton, Phillip. "Cuck Chair." Know Your Meme, 15 Nov. 2022, Accessed 2 June 2025. Klein, Betsy, et al. "May 28, 2025 - Donald Trump Presidency News." CNN, 28 May 2025, Accessed 2 June 2025. Lahut, Jake. "Elon Musk's Takeover Is Being Aided by a Trumpworld Power Couple." WIRED, 27 Feb. 2025, Accessed 2 June 2025. Pager, Tyler, et al. "Elon Musk, Distanced from Trump, Says He's Exiting Washington and DOGE." The New York Times, 29 May 2025, Accessed 2 June 2025. Pogue, David, and Joe Walsh. "Elon Musk Says He's 'Disappointed' by Trump's 'Big, Beautiful Bill' and What It Means for DOGE." CBS News, 28 May 2025, Accessed 2 June 2025. Siddiqui, Faiz, and Frances Vinall. "Musk Explains His Black Eye, Says He Told Son X to Punch Him." The Washington Post, 31 May 2025, Accessed 2 June 2025. "Summary of Government Ethics Rules for Special Government Employees." 27 Aug. 2014, Accessed 2 June 2025.
