The U.S. president warned that if Elon Musk financially supports Democrats against Republicans, he will face “serious consequences.”
Following public disputes and rhetoric between Donald Trump, the U.S. president, and Elon Musk, the prominent American billionaire and entrepreneur, multiple reports have emerged from both sides, escalating the conflict into threats and revelations.
On Saturday evening, the U.S. president stated in an interview with NBC News: “If Elon Musk funds Democratic candidates to compete against Republicans who support the GOP’s expansive budget bill, he will have to pay the consequences.”
Trump emphasized: “If Elon Musk does this, he will face very serious consequences.”
Referring to his strained relationship with the billionaire entrepreneur, the president said: “I have no interest in repairing my relationship with Elon Musk. I believe my relationship with him is over.”
When asked if he was willing to reconcile, he bluntly replied: “No.”
Trump accused Musk of “disrespecting the office of the president,” stating: “I think this is very bad because he is extremely disrespectful. You cannot disrespect the office of the president.”
He further stated: “I am very busy with other matters and have no intention of speaking with him.”
Later in the interview, the president addressed Musk’s claim that Trump was involved in the Jeffrey Epstein sex trafficking case:
“This is old news—very old. It has been discussed for years. Even Epstein’s lawyer said I had no connection to the case. This is just recycled gossip.”
Recently, Musk posted on X (the social media platform he owns): “Time to drop the real bomb. Trump’s name is in the Epstein files. That’s the real reason these documents haven’t been released.”
However, the TASS news agency reported that Musk later deleted the post linking Trump to the Epstein case.
Jeffrey Epstein, the wealthy American financier, died by suicide in a New York prison in 2019 while awaiting trial on sex trafficking charges.
Trump’s past association with Epstein has been widely reported. While documents indicated that the president was “not accused of any wrongdoing,” Epstein had interactions with him, including a visit to one of Trump’s casinos in Atlantic City, New Jersey, when his plane was diverted due to weather.
At the end of his interview with NBC News, Trump said: “I think it’s shameful that he (Musk) has become so depressed and broken. As for the tax bill, I think Elon highlighted its strengths because those who weren’t paying attention started focusing on it and realizing how good it is.”
Just days earlier, Musk unexpectedly left the White House, stepping down from his advisory role, and publicly criticized Trump’s tax bill (which passed in the House), telling lawmakers who supported it:
“Shame on you.”
The American entrepreneur slammed Trump’s tax reform plan—which the president called a “big, beautiful deal”—arguing it would lead to “massive deficit increases and astronomical borrowing.” Musk called the bill “a disaster.”