 "US President Donald Trump and Elon Musk attend a press conference in the Oval Office of the White House in Washington, DC, US, May 30, 2025. Reuters")
Amid tensions between US President Donald Trump and Elon Musk, the Potus called the tech billionaire and Tesla CEO a “great guy” in an interview on Sunday.
Musk had served as a close adviser to Trump until May 2025 and was leading the Department of Government Efficiency (Doge), which was aimed at cutting costs in the US government.
The relationship soured after Musk, who runs SpaceX and Tesla, criticised Trump’s proposed tax cuts, known as the “big beautiful bill.”
Trump praises Musk
Speaking to Fox News, Trump praised Musk, saying, “I think he’s a wonderful guy. I haven’t spoken to him much, but I think Elon is a wonderful guy, and I know he’s going to do well always. He’s a smart guy. And he actually went and campaigned with me… But he got a little bit upset, and that wasn’t appropriate.”
EV mandate at the heart of the split
Asked what caused the falling out, Trump said, “The electric vehicle mandate, the EV mandate, is a tough thing for him. I don’t want everybody to have to have an electric car.”
Musk slams GOP tax bill as “insane”
Musk strongly opposed the Republican tax bill, claiming it would “destroy millions of jobs.” This disagreement led to a public feud, with both men criticising each other online.
Epstein post deleted amid feud
At one point, Musk even posted about alleged connections between Trump and the Jeffrey Epstein files, though he later deleted the post.
Bill passes Senate hurdle
Ahead of a key Senate vote on the tax bill, Musk posted on X, calling the legislation “utterly insane,” saying it would harm the economy and cost millions of jobs.
Despite Musk’s criticism and defections from three Republican senators, the bill passed the Senate by 51 votes to 49. It will now move to the House of Representatives for a final vote before becoming law.