Donald Trump, United States president on Saturday issued a stark warning to Elon Musk, threatening “serious consequences” if the billionaire tech mogul channels funds to Democratic candidates in retaliation against Republicans who support the administration’s landmark budget bill.
“If he does, he’ll have to pay the consequences for that,” Trump told NBC News in a phone interview. He declined to specify what those consequences might be, but reiterated, “He’ll have to pay very serious consequences if he does that.”
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The president’s remarks come amid an escalating public feud with Musk, one of his former allies, who last year poured more than $250 million into boosting Trump’s re-election campaign across key swing states. The rift marks a dramatic fall from grace for the Tesla and SpaceX CEO, who early in Trump’s third term was appointed to head the Department of Government Efficiency, where he oversaw sweeping cuts to the federal workforce and the closure of several agencies.
The dispute erupted into public view earlier this week after Musk criticised the House-passed “One Big Beautiful Bill Act,” a sweeping GOP budget measure that consolidates dozens of agencies and introduces sharp spending reductions. Trump responded with a blistering rebuke from the Oval Office on Thursday, saying he was “very disappointed” in Musk and accusing him of disloyalty. “I’ve helped Elon a lot,” Trump said. “He knew the inner workings of this bill.”
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Within hours, Musk fired back with a flurry of posts on X, including one that called for Trump’s impeachment and another warning that the administration’s tariff agenda could trigger a recession. A third, later deleted, post highlighted the president’s past connections to the disgraced financier Jeffrey Epstein.
Asked about the Epstein claim, Trump dismissed it as “old news.” “Even Epstein’s lawyer said I had nothing to do with it,” he said. “It’s old news.”
Speaking on Saturday, Trump made clear he has no intention of repairing the relationship. “No,” he said flatly, when asked whether he wanted to mend ties. Asked if the relationship with Musk was over, he replied, “I would assume so, yeah.”
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Trump also accused Musk of being “disrespectful to the office of the President.” “You could not disrespect the office of the President,” he added. “I think it’s a very bad thing.”
The feud has sent shockwaves through Republican circles, but Trump insists it has only strengthened party unity. “The Republican Party has never been united like this before,” he said. “It’s actually more so than it was three days ago.”
He suggested that Musk’s opposition may have inadvertently boosted interest in the bill. “I think Elon brought out the strengths of the bill because people that weren’t as focused started focusing on it, and they see how good it is,” Trump said. “So in that sense, there was a big favour.”
Despite previously threatening to cut SpaceX and Tesla’s federal contracts, Trump appeared to walk back the idea. “I’d be allowed to do that,” he said. “But I haven’t given it any thought.”
Some conservative figures, including Steve Bannon, have called for federal investigations into Musk’s business dealings and immigration record. Trump said he hasn’t held such discussions. “It’s not something that’s on top of my mind right now,” he told NBC.
Vice president JD Vance weighed in on the dispute during a podcast released Saturday, describing Musk’s attacks as “nuclear” and suggesting reconciliation may now be impossible. “Maybe that’s not possible now because he’s gone so nuclear,” Vance said on This Past Weekend with Theo Von.
Still, the vice president expressed hope for a truce. “I’m always going to be loyal to the president, and I hope that eventually Elon, kind of, comes back into the fold.”
He blamed Musk’s frustration on the slow-moving nature of Washington politics. “If you’re a business leader, you probably get frustrated with that process,” Vance said. “But I think it’s a huge mistake for him to go after the president like that.”
As the Senate prepares to take up the budget bill before the July 4 recess, Trump remains confident. “I’m very confident that the bill will pass,” he said. “It’s a good bill. The country needs it.”
Still, the president made it clear that Musk’s standing within the administration has changed. “I’m too busy doing other things,” Trump said. “I have no intention of speaking to him.”
