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Donald Trump and Elon Musk’s beef shows no signs of being resolved after the US president threatened him with cutting of subsidies - with Trump later suggesting that Musk could be deported.
Once dubbed Trump’s “First buddy”, billionaire Musk has fallen out of favour with the president after a huge falling out over Trump’s sweeping tax-cut and spending bill – aka the “big, beautiful bill”.
On Tuesday (1 July), Trump took aim at his ally-turned-critic by threatening to have his former government efficiency department DOGE slash the subsidies that Musk’s companies, such as electric vehicle company Tesla, receive.
His comments came after Musk suggested that he was going to unseat lawmakers who voted to back the bill.
Musk threatened: “They will lose their primary next year if it is the last thing I do on this Earth.”
In a post on his own social media platform, Truth Social, Trump hit back with a reference to subsidies.
Trump wrote: “Elon may get more subsidy than any human being in history, by far, and without subsidies, Elon would probably have to close up shop and head back home to South Africa. No more Rocket launches, Satellites, or Electric Car Production, and our Country would save a FORTUNE.
“Perhaps we should have DOGE take a good, hard, look at this? BIG MONEY TO BE SAVED!!!”
But, it appears that Musk isn’t too bothered, if his response is anything to go by.
Responding to a screengrab of the post shared on X/Twitter, Musk wrote: “I am literally saying CUT IT ALL. Now.”
Later, speaking to reporters on Tuesday as he departed the White House to visit an immigration detention facility in Florida, the president was asked if Musk, a naturalized American citizen who originally hails from South Africa, could be deported in retaliation for his attacks on the One Big Beautiful Bill Act under debate in the Senate.
“I don’t know,” he replied. “We’ll have to take a look.
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