Latest news with #pro-Musk
USA Today
11-06-2025
- Politics
- USA Today
Musk says he went 'too far' as wimpy billionaire begs Trump to rekindle bromance
Musk says he went 'too far' as wimpy billionaire begs Trump to rekindle bromance | Opinion You see, guys like Musk and Trump have long painted themselves as tough, despite all available evidence to the contrary. Show Caption Hide Caption Elon Musk says he regrets some post about President Trump Elon Musk says some of his posts about President Trump "went too far" during a public war of words. It didn't take long for billionaire soy boy Elon Musk to start groveling at the feet of President Donald Trump. The seemingly inseparable pro-tyranny twins had a very public breakup last week. But on June 11, Musk issued the following weak-kneed, beta-male statement on social media: 'I regret some of my posts about President @realDonaldTrump last week. They went too far.' The world's richest suck-up didn't specify which of his posts went too far. Was it the one hoping Trump gets impeached so Vice President JD Vance can take over? The one about Trump's tariffs leading to a recession later this year? Or maybe it was the one where you suggested the administration is covering up Trump's connection to convicted sex offender Jeff Epstein? Musk's weak apology to Trump isn't going to get the job done That's a lot of 'Oops!' to choose from, and Musk's vague regret made the whole thing sound, at the risk of offending the pro-Musk macho men of the man-o-sphere, kinda weak. You see, guys like Musk and Trump have long painted themselves as tough, despite all available evidence to the contrary. Opinion: Musk erupts, claims Trump is in the Epstein files. Who could've seen this coming? Fake tough guys like Musk and Trump rely on optics Errol Musk, the Tesla CEO's father, said of the Trump/Musk feud: 'Things have gone over the top, but this is the situation when alphas fight it out.' Last September, Musk shared a post on X claiming the best thinkers are 'high T alpha males' and stating: 'This is why a Republic of high status males is best for decision making.' As the head of the U.S. Department of Government Efficiency, Musk equated himself to The Godfather, parading around in a 'Dogefather' shirt. Opinion: Musk calls Trump's bill an 'abomination.' I hate it when our two weird dads fight. Musk, like Trump, speaks loudly and carries a small stick Musk posted toughly in February that journalists from '60 Minutes' deserve 'a long prison sentence.' Tough talk, right? Tough guy then, I suppose. Or not. Alpha males never back down, right Elon? Musk reared up and attacked President Trump – a man so weak that Wall Street traders use the term 'TACO,' for Trump Always Chickens Out – and within a week, Musk is backpedaling. If there's one thing I've learned from reading manly posts by insecure, poorly-adjusted dudes on the internet, it's that alpha males don't backpedal. What are you going to do next to get back in Trump's good graces, Elon? Offer to toss a baton and dance in the military parade our totally-secure-in-his-masculinity president is throwing for his birthday this weekend? Perhaps Musk could buy back the Tesla he sold to Trump Are you going to offer to buy back the Tesla he bought from you at twice the retail price? Maybe name a rocket after him? (On second thought, don't do that. It would probably explode and then you'd have some SERIOUS groveling to do.) The bottom line is that 'I regret some of my posts' ain't gonna cut it, you little snowflake. You're going to have to emasculate yourself way more than that if you want to win your way back into the heart of a guy so faux-tough he sent the U.S. Marines to Los Angeles to battle a relatively small number of largely peaceful protestors. Fake toughness demands exaggerated weakness. Cry more, Elon. I know you've got it in you. Follow USA TODAY columnist Rex Huppke on Bluesky at @ and on Facebook at
Yahoo
11-06-2025
- Automotive
- Yahoo
How the Trump-Musk feud exposed the risk of the 'Musk premium' in Tesla's stock
Tesla (TSLA) CEO Elon Musk's recent feud with his former ally President Trump put the spotlight on the risk of the electric vehicle stock's "Musk premium." Wall Street analysts and investors have varying opinions of Tesla and its controversial chief executive. But they agree on this: Tesla stock trades at higher levels than other electric vehicle companies. In other words, it trades at a premium because of Elon Musk. "[I]f Elon Musk was gone tomorrow, [the] stock could get cut in half," Roth Capital Partners analyst Craig Irwin told Yahoo Finance. "There's no question there's a Musk premium in the shares." Irwin holds a Buy rating on Tesla stock. Others have different values for the Musk premium. Tesla investor Justus Parmar, who runs venture capital firm Fortuna Investments and is pro-Musk, thinks it's closer to 10%. He added: "Tesla is one of the most volatile stocks on the entire planet ... It almost trades like a meme coin at times." Hedgeye Risk Management analyst Jay Van Sciver, who holds a short position on the stock and is critical of Musk, thinks the premium is much higher. "Tesla has this enormous stock market premium," Van Sciver said. "You would lose that tech premium from Tesla if Musk went away because he is seen as this genius entrepreneur who makes it all work." "The reality is [Tesla's] revenue comes from selling cars and car services," Van Sciver explained. "If it were valued like a car company, shares would be 80%, 90% lower." Tesla reported deliveries falling in 2024 for the first time in over a decade. Musk's string of controversies — from allegations of intense drug use to his apparent use of the Nazi salute — does little to sway dedicated investors. "What you're signing up for is you've got a very charismatic, very brilliant CEO," Parmar said. But Musk's foray into politics, particularly his recent feud with President Trump, showcased how quickly the premium on Tesla shares can erode. Last week, Musk called for Trump's impeachment and accused the president of being "in the Epstein files," referring to convicted sex trafficker Jeffrey Epstein. Read more: How to avoid Tesla car insurance sticker shock The social media insults from Tesla's CEO came after he criticized Trump's "big, beautiful" tax and spending bill, which includes provisions that would, among other things, cut the $7,500 EV credit. Trump responded to Musk's insults by threatening to cancel US government contracts with his companies. The spat sent Tesla shares down 14% last Thursday alone. The following day, Trump said Musk had "lost his mind." "Trump has a million ways he can make Elon Musk miserable," Van Sciver said. For example, he could target Tesla with tariffs, as Trump has threatened to do to Apple. Tesla shares recovered this week after the two combatants kissed and made up a bit. The stock rose nearly 6% on Tuesday after Trump on Monday walked back an earlier decision to sell his red Tesla and said he'd "have no problem" speaking with Musk. The Tesla CEO said Wednesday that he regretted some of his posts about the president. Trump's friendship with Musk, the "first buddy," was seen as a boon to the company's robotaxi efforts. Musk joined the US government to head the newly created — and highly controversial — Department of Government Efficiency in January but left in May after his efforts sent Tesla shares spiraling from a high above $488 in December to just over $220 in April. Despite this week's gains, the stock is down nearly 20% for the year, trading around $333. "[W]hen Trump won, the market was assuming that Tesla would be a beneficiary of favorable Trump policies because Elon ... and maybe Elon could have some push into making more favorable EV policies ''' or help craft better autonomous vehicle safety standards," Morningstar analyst Seth Goldstein told Yahoo Finance. Currently, Tesla would need to get approval from state and local governments to operate its robotaxis, he explained. "If you can replace that with a federal autonomous vehicle standard, that could greatly speed Tesla's time to market and remove regulatory hurdles," Goldstein said. Tesla hosts its highly anticipated robotaxi day on June 12. Even as bullish Tesla analysts have high hopes for Tesla's expansion into the self-driving car space, the EV maker must contend with fierce competition from its rival robotaxi maker, Alphabet-owned (GOOGL, GOOG) Waymo, which leads the market. Thursday's event might shed light on whether Tesla can catch up. Ahead of the event, analysts at Argus Research and Baird downgraded their ratings on Tesla shares to Hold from Buy, in part due to the potential impact of the Musk-Trump feud on the stock. Tesla investor Parmar told Yahoo Finance, "There is some concern that if the president really doesn't like Elon and really wants to punish Elon, he's gonna make it very difficult for Elon to get the regulatory approvals for all of these different cars he wants to start getting on the roads that are driving themselves." "I'm of the opinion that cooler heads will prevail," he said. Others remained skeptical of a long-term peace. "I doubt that Trump will make nice with Elon after he said these very mean things," Hedgeye's Van Sciver said. Laura Bratton is a reporter for Yahoo Finance. Follow her on Bluesky @ Email her at
Yahoo
11-06-2025
- Automotive
- Yahoo
How the Trump-Musk feud exposed the risk of the 'Musk premium' in Tesla's stock
Tesla (TSLA) CEO Elon Musk's recent feud with his former ally President Trump put the spotlight on the risk of the electric vehicle stock's "Musk premium." Wall Street analysts and investors have varying opinions of Tesla and its controversial chief executive. But they agree on this: Tesla stock trades at higher levels than other electric vehicle companies. In other words, it trades at a premium because of Elon Musk. "[I]f Elon Musk was gone tomorrow, [the] stock could get cut in half," Roth Capital Partners analyst Craig Irwin told Yahoo Finance. "There's no question there's a Musk premium in the shares." Irwin holds a Buy rating on Tesla stock. Others have different values for the Musk premium. Tesla investor Justus Parmar, who runs venture capital firm Fortuna Investments and is pro-Musk, thinks it's closer to 10%. He added: "Tesla is one of the most volatile stocks on the entire planet ... It almost trades like a meme coin at times." Hedgeye Risk Management analyst Jay Van Sciver, who holds a short position on the stock and is critical of Musk, thinks the premium is much higher. "Tesla has this enormous stock market premium," Van Sciver said. "You would lose that tech premium from Tesla if Musk went away because he is seen as this genius entrepreneur who makes it all work." "The reality is [Tesla's] revenue comes from selling cars and car services," Van Sciver explained. "If it were valued like a car company, shares would be 80%, 90% lower." Tesla reported deliveries falling in 2024 for the first time in over a decade. Musk's string of controversies — from allegations of intense drug use to his apparent use of the Nazi salute — does little to sway dedicated investors. "What you're signing up for is you've got a very charismatic, very brilliant CEO," Parmar said. But Musk's foray into politics, particularly his recent feud with President Trump, showcased how quickly the premium on Tesla shares can erode. Last week, Musk called for Trump's impeachment and accused the president of being "in the Epstein files," referring to convicted sex trafficker Jeffrey Epstein. Read more: How to avoid Tesla car insurance sticker shock The social media insults from Tesla's CEO came after he criticized Trump's "big, beautiful" tax and spending bill, which includes provisions that would, among other things, cut the $7,500 EV credit. Trump responded to Musk's insults by threatening to cancel US government contracts with his companies. The spat sent Tesla shares down 14% last Thursday alone. The following day, Trump said Musk had "lost his mind." "Trump has a million ways he can make Elon Musk miserable," Van Sciver said. For example, he could target Tesla with tariffs, as Trump has threatened to do to Apple. Tesla shares recovered this week after the two combatants kissed and made up a bit. The stock rose nearly 6% on Tuesday after Trump on Monday walked back an earlier decision to sell his red Tesla and said he'd "have no problem" speaking with Musk. The Tesla CEO said Wednesday that he regretted some of his posts about the president. Trump's friendship with Musk, the "first buddy," was seen as a boon to the company's robotaxi efforts. Musk joined the US government to head the newly created — and highly controversial — Department of Government Efficiency in January but left in May after his efforts sent Tesla shares spiraling from a high above $488 in December to just over $220 in April. Despite this week's gains, the stock is down nearly 20% for the year, trading around $333. "[W]hen Trump won, the market was assuming that Tesla would be a beneficiary of favorable Trump policies because Elon ... and maybe Elon could have some push into making more favorable EV policies ''' or help craft better autonomous vehicle safety standards," Morningstar analyst Seth Goldstein told Yahoo Finance. Currently, Tesla would need to get approval from state and local governments to operate its robotaxis, he explained. "If you can replace that with a federal autonomous vehicle standard, that could greatly speed Tesla's time to market and remove regulatory hurdles," Goldstein said. Tesla hosts its highly anticipated robotaxi day on June 12. Even as bullish Tesla analysts have high hopes for Tesla's expansion into the self-driving car space, the EV maker must contend with fierce competition from its rival robotaxi maker, Alphabet-owned (GOOGL, GOOG) Waymo, which leads the market. Thursday's event might shed light on whether Tesla can catch up. Ahead of the event, analysts at Argus Research and Baird downgraded their ratings on Tesla shares to Hold from Buy, in part due to the potential impact of the Musk-Trump feud on the stock. Tesla investor Parmar told Yahoo Finance, "There is some concern that if the president really doesn't like Elon and really wants to punish Elon, he's gonna make it very difficult for Elon to get the regulatory approvals for all of these different cars he wants to start getting on the roads that are driving themselves." "I'm of the opinion that cooler heads will prevail," he said. Others remained skeptical of a long-term peace. "I doubt that Trump will make nice with Elon after he said these very mean things," Hedgeye's Van Sciver said. Laura Bratton is a reporter for Yahoo Finance. Follow her on Bluesky @ Email her at 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
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Business Standard
30-05-2025
- Business
- Business Standard
Without Elon Musk, DOGE likely to fizzle out, says former staffer
Tesla CEO Musk announced on Wednesday evening that he was ending his time as a special government employee but vowed that DOGE would continue without him Reuters Without billionaire Elon Musk in the Trump administration, his cost-cutting Department of Government Efficiency project is likely to sputter out, a former DOGE staffer said in his first interview since leaving the team. Tesla CEO Musk announced on Wednesday evening that he was ending his time as a special government employee but vowed that DOGE would continue without him. Administration media representatives also said in statements to Reuters that DOGE would continue its work. However, software engineer Sahil Lavingia, who spent almost two months working for the group of pro-Musk technologists, said he expects DOGE to quickly "fizzle out." "It'll just die a whimper," Lavingia, who was fired from DOGE earlier this month, told Reuters. "So much of the appeal and allure was Elon." He said he expected DOGE staffers to "just stop showing up to work. It's like kids joining a startup that will go out of business in four months." That would cap a remarkable undoing for DOGE, which Musk initially vowed would cut $2 trillion in federal spending. Instead, DOGE estimates its efforts have saved around $175 billion so far and the group's tallies have been riddled with errors. The White House praised DOGE but did not comment on Lavingia. "DOGE is integral to the federal government's operations, and its mission, as established by the President's executive order, will continue under the direction of agency and department heads in the Trump administration," White House spokesperson Harrison Fields said. Musk did not respond to a request for comment. Lavingia, the 32-year-old founder and CEO of creator platform Gumroad, said he was recruited by DOGE through a personal contact and joined the team in March. While he said he was proud of certain achievements at the Department of Veterans Affairs, including modernising the agency's internal artificial-intelligence chatbot, he said he was often at a loss about what work he was expected to do. "I got dropped into the VA with an HP laptop. What are we supposed to do? What is the road map?" Lavingia said he asked, to no avail. "I felt like I was being pranked." Veterans Affairs press secretary Pete Kasperowicz said in a statement to Reuters: "VA looks forward to continuing to work with its DOGE liaisons to help the department improve its performance, customer service, and convenience to Veterans." Lavingia said Steve Davis, the president of Musk's tunneling enterprise the Boring Company, ran day-to-day operations while Turkish-born venture capitalist Baris Akis helped with DOGE recruitment and DOGE logistics. Davis and Akis did not respond to requests for comment sent via the White House. When instructions did come through, they were usually communicated through phone calls or small chats on the encrypted Signal messaging app that would typically auto-delete in one day, Lavingia said. Lavingia said instructions included moving faster to increase mass layoffs at the VA, the federal government's second-largest agency. The only time he met Musk, Lavingia said, was at an all-hands meeting in March with what he estimated was between 40 and 60 fellow DOGE staffers. Lavingia said he asked to open-source, or make freely available, some of his computer code, which Musk approved. He then asked if they could livestream DOGE meetings to increase transparency. Lavingia said he never heard back. In early May, after he spoke to media outlet Fast Company about working at DOGE, Lavingia said his computer access was revoked in what amounted to a firing. He said Musk and team leaders never explicitly told him he should not talk to journalists.
The Advertiser
30-05-2025
- Business
- The Advertiser
Trump hails Musk as he announces joint press conference
US President Donald Trump has praised Elon Musk and says he will hold a press conference with the tech billionaire, whose tenure in the administration ended. "This will be his last day, but not really, because he will, always, be with us, helping all the way," Trump said in a post on Truth Social. "Elon is terrific!" The president said the press conference will be held in the Oval Office on Friday. Musk announced he was stepping down from his White House stint on Wednesday, giving Tesla investors some succour after shares slumped this year in part due to the backlash to his support of Trump and right-wing parties in Europe. The billionaire spearheaded Trump's so-called Department of Government Efficiency(DOGE), charged with cutting federal spending. On Tuesday, Musk criticised the price tag of Republicans' tax and budget legislation making its way through Congress. In addition, he had recently pledged to spend less money on politics after he plunked down nearly $US300 million on Trump's presidential campaign and on other Republican candidates last year. A former DOGE staffer said without Musk in the Trump administration, his cost-cutting Department of Government Efficiency project is likely to sputter out. Software engineer Sahil Lavingia, who spent almost two months working for the group of pro-Musk technologists, said he expects DOGE to quickly "fizzle out." "It'll just die a whimper," Lavingia, who was fired from DOGE earlier this month, told Reuters. "So much of the appeal and allure was Elon." He said he expected DOGE staffers to "just stop showing up to work. It's like kids joining a startup that will go out of business in four months." That would cap a remarkable undoing for DOGE, which Musk initially vowed would cut $US2 trillion in federal spending. Instead, DOGE estimates its efforts have saved around $US175 billion so far and the group's tallies have been riddled with errors. Lavingia, the 32-year-old founder and CEO of creator platform Gumroad, said he was recruited by DOGE through a personal contact and joined the team in March. US President Donald Trump has praised Elon Musk and says he will hold a press conference with the tech billionaire, whose tenure in the administration ended. "This will be his last day, but not really, because he will, always, be with us, helping all the way," Trump said in a post on Truth Social. "Elon is terrific!" The president said the press conference will be held in the Oval Office on Friday. Musk announced he was stepping down from his White House stint on Wednesday, giving Tesla investors some succour after shares slumped this year in part due to the backlash to his support of Trump and right-wing parties in Europe. The billionaire spearheaded Trump's so-called Department of Government Efficiency(DOGE), charged with cutting federal spending. On Tuesday, Musk criticised the price tag of Republicans' tax and budget legislation making its way through Congress. In addition, he had recently pledged to spend less money on politics after he plunked down nearly $US300 million on Trump's presidential campaign and on other Republican candidates last year. A former DOGE staffer said without Musk in the Trump administration, his cost-cutting Department of Government Efficiency project is likely to sputter out. Software engineer Sahil Lavingia, who spent almost two months working for the group of pro-Musk technologists, said he expects DOGE to quickly "fizzle out." "It'll just die a whimper," Lavingia, who was fired from DOGE earlier this month, told Reuters. "So much of the appeal and allure was Elon." He said he expected DOGE staffers to "just stop showing up to work. It's like kids joining a startup that will go out of business in four months." That would cap a remarkable undoing for DOGE, which Musk initially vowed would cut $US2 trillion in federal spending. Instead, DOGE estimates its efforts have saved around $US175 billion so far and the group's tallies have been riddled with errors. Lavingia, the 32-year-old founder and CEO of creator platform Gumroad, said he was recruited by DOGE through a personal contact and joined the team in March. US President Donald Trump has praised Elon Musk and says he will hold a press conference with the tech billionaire, whose tenure in the administration ended. "This will be his last day, but not really, because he will, always, be with us, helping all the way," Trump said in a post on Truth Social. "Elon is terrific!" The president said the press conference will be held in the Oval Office on Friday. Musk announced he was stepping down from his White House stint on Wednesday, giving Tesla investors some succour after shares slumped this year in part due to the backlash to his support of Trump and right-wing parties in Europe. The billionaire spearheaded Trump's so-called Department of Government Efficiency(DOGE), charged with cutting federal spending. On Tuesday, Musk criticised the price tag of Republicans' tax and budget legislation making its way through Congress. In addition, he had recently pledged to spend less money on politics after he plunked down nearly $US300 million on Trump's presidential campaign and on other Republican candidates last year. A former DOGE staffer said without Musk in the Trump administration, his cost-cutting Department of Government Efficiency project is likely to sputter out. Software engineer Sahil Lavingia, who spent almost two months working for the group of pro-Musk technologists, said he expects DOGE to quickly "fizzle out." "It'll just die a whimper," Lavingia, who was fired from DOGE earlier this month, told Reuters. "So much of the appeal and allure was Elon." He said he expected DOGE staffers to "just stop showing up to work. It's like kids joining a startup that will go out of business in four months." That would cap a remarkable undoing for DOGE, which Musk initially vowed would cut $US2 trillion in federal spending. Instead, DOGE estimates its efforts have saved around $US175 billion so far and the group's tallies have been riddled with errors. Lavingia, the 32-year-old founder and CEO of creator platform Gumroad, said he was recruited by DOGE through a personal contact and joined the team in March. US President Donald Trump has praised Elon Musk and says he will hold a press conference with the tech billionaire, whose tenure in the administration ended. "This will be his last day, but not really, because he will, always, be with us, helping all the way," Trump said in a post on Truth Social. "Elon is terrific!" The president said the press conference will be held in the Oval Office on Friday. Musk announced he was stepping down from his White House stint on Wednesday, giving Tesla investors some succour after shares slumped this year in part due to the backlash to his support of Trump and right-wing parties in Europe. The billionaire spearheaded Trump's so-called Department of Government Efficiency(DOGE), charged with cutting federal spending. On Tuesday, Musk criticised the price tag of Republicans' tax and budget legislation making its way through Congress. In addition, he had recently pledged to spend less money on politics after he plunked down nearly $US300 million on Trump's presidential campaign and on other Republican candidates last year. A former DOGE staffer said without Musk in the Trump administration, his cost-cutting Department of Government Efficiency project is likely to sputter out. Software engineer Sahil Lavingia, who spent almost two months working for the group of pro-Musk technologists, said he expects DOGE to quickly "fizzle out." "It'll just die a whimper," Lavingia, who was fired from DOGE earlier this month, told Reuters. "So much of the appeal and allure was Elon." He said he expected DOGE staffers to "just stop showing up to work. It's like kids joining a startup that will go out of business in four months." That would cap a remarkable undoing for DOGE, which Musk initially vowed would cut $US2 trillion in federal spending. Instead, DOGE estimates its efforts have saved around $US175 billion so far and the group's tallies have been riddled with errors. Lavingia, the 32-year-old founder and CEO of creator platform Gumroad, said he was recruited by DOGE through a personal contact and joined the team in March.
