President Trump said he believes his relationship with Elon Musk is effectively over and expressed no interest in repairing it following their recent public falling-out. In a phone interview with NBC News’ Kristen Welker, Trump remarked that Musk seemed “depressed and heartbroken,” adding, “I think it’s a shame.”
Trump also issued a veiled warning, suggesting Musk could face “serious consequences” if he supports Democratic candidates running against Republicans who back Trump’s legislative priorities particularly the large-scale tax and spending bill currently at the center of political debate. Musk, who donated over $290 million to GOP campaigns during the 2024 election cycle, recently announced plans to scale back his political contributions. He also posted on social media that politicians who “betrayed the American people” should be removed from office in the upcoming election.
When asked what those “consequences” for Musk might look like, Trump declined to elaborate. Meanwhile, House Speaker Mike Johnson called it a “big mistake” for Musk to target Republicans supporting the bill.
During the Saturday interview, Trump confirmed he has no plans to contact the Tesla CEO, stating he “would assume” the relationship is finished. He accused Musk of being “disrespectful to the office of the President,” further distancing himself from the billionaire who once served as a high-profile adviser in Trump’s administration.
Tensions erupted last week when Musk launched a public campaign against Trump’s proposed legislation, calling it a “disgusting abomination.” Trump, speaking alongside German Chancellor Friedrich Merz in the Oval Office, said he was “very disappointed” in Musk and implied that Musk had an in-depth understanding of the bill, despite criticizing it.
Musk responded in real-time via posts on X, including one where he claimed Trump would have lost the election without his support. In a separate post, which appears to have since been deleted, Musk accused Trump of being “in the Epstein files” a claim Trump dismissed during his NBC interview as “old news.”
Trump also floated the idea of cutting Musk off from federal support, saying in a Truth Social post that a fast way to save money would be to “terminate Elon’s Governmental Subsidies and Contracts.” When asked about this, Trump said he could do it if he wanted but hadn’t seriously considered it yet.