As pretty much the entire planet is now aware, President Donald Trump and serial entrepreneur Elon Musk are not exactly the best of friends these days.
On the contrary, the simmering tension between both global leaders came to a head following a sharp divergence of opinion regarding the “big, beautiful bill” long touted as an apparent centerpiece of the Trump administration.
In fact, Musk blasted the bill as a “disgusting abomination” … a characterization that did not sit well with Trump.
As evidenced by the social media war that broke out shortly after Musk’s explicitly stated resistance to the bill.
Which is precisely why Fox News host Greg Gutfeld warned both Trump and Musk to avoid a senselessly internecine conflict.
“I think what you’re seeing is a battle between the purist and the pragmatist. I don’t like it. I want it to stop. I want to tell them, if they’re both watching, ‘Knock it off.’ We’re done with this. This is an incredible moment for our country. It’s awake, it’s optimistic, it’s on board with the golden age,” Gutfeld declared, all but begging the two men to stop fighting.
And, following a remarkably high-profile dispute between two of the world’s wealthiest, most powerful men – in which Musk went as far as to lob Trump in with the Epstein crowd – the conflict between the two suddenly seemed to vanish.
Part of the animosity simmered down following Trump’s deployment of military forces in Los Angeles.
An intensive air strike against Iran may have had something to do with the sudden reduction in conflict as well.
Now, however, it would appear that the feud has freshly re-ignited, and Trump has opted for the pugnacious route over the diplomatic route.
Just how pugnacious?
Well, rather amazingly, Trump not only threatened Musk’s access to government subsidies – effectively lifelines for his companies – but he also threatened to deport him.
As reported in USA Today, Trump mused that Musk’s success would be virtually nonexistent without government subsidies.
And, in an effort to further twist the knife, Trump went as far as to suggest that Musk may face investigation from the Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) itself – an entity created and previously led by Musk himself.
“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!!!” Trump gloated on social media.
In terms of whether or not Trump aimed to deport Musk – who has been a naturalized citizen for more than two decades – Trump played coy to a group of reporters.
“We’ll have to take a look [at deportation] … We might have to put DOGE on Elon. You know what DOGE is? DOGE is the monster that might have to go back and eat Elon. Wouldn’t that be terrible? He gets a lot of subsidies,” Trump threatened.
Oddly enough, none other than Steve Bannon was advising Trump to take over Musk’s companies while simultaneously deporting Musk himself, as reported by the Wall Street Journal.
“The U.S. government should seize [SpaceX] … Elon Musk is illegal. He’s got to go too,” Bannon asserted.
It would appear that Trump has started to follow Bannon’s advice, at least amid the latest developments in the president’s rapidly escalating war with Musk.
Author: Jane Jones
