Well, that was a rather startling development.
And while President Donald Trump is full of surprises, he still manages to surprise his most erstwhile followers – particularly when it comes to unexpected defenses of his foes and frenemies.
In the case of tech titan and former “First Buddy” Elon Musk, Trump may well have transformed him from a friend to a foe to a frenemy – or someone in between a friend and a foe – given his sudden, highly surprising support of Tesla.
“I want Elon, and all businesses within our Country, to THRIVE,” Trump declared on Truth Social.
Wow!
Trump’s defense of Musk emerged as Tesla shares reportedly fell following a lackluster earnings call, in which the tech titan effectively shaded the presidential administration for rescinding incentives for EVs.
“We’re in this weird transition period where we’ll lose a lot of incentives in the U.S.,” Musk groused.
Which renders Trump’s public defense even more surprising.
Who would have imagined that Trump would be running to the defense of Musk, of all people?
After all, both billionaires have nabbed multiple headlines for their ongoing public feud, which ignited over the “big, beautiful bill” pushed by the Trump administration.
On his part, Musk blasted the bill as a “disgusting abomination” that would apparently undercut all the tireless efforts of DOGE.
The same “abomination” that Musk obliquely referenced on his most recent earnings call, which did little to stave the heavy losses sustained by Tesla.
Trump’s defense of Musk is even more surprising when considering the various attacks that he has endured from the tech mogul in recent months.
One of the more egregious public affronts included Musk’s declaration that he was starting a new political party that would be “laser focused” on a few key seats for the midterm elections – which is effectively a major threat to the Republicans.
That particular move angered longtime Trump associate Steve Bannon, who has openly called for Musk’s deportation in response.
However, despite the public tension between the two titans, it would appear that Trump is more intent on pumping up American industry generally – including the American companies run by Musk.
Trump also indicated that some of his policies might appear to initially harm Musk’s businesses, but they are ultimately the best for the nation.
“Everyone is stating that I will destroy Elon’s companies by taking away some, if not all, of the large-scale subsidies he receives from the U.S. Government. This is not so! The better they do, the better the USA does, and that’s good for all of us,” Trump insisted.
Fair points.
Will Trump’s public overture impact Musk’s ongoing political ambitions, in particular third-party ambitions?
Time remains to tell, but it would appear that the feud between both billionaires is not raging hot at the moment.
Author: Jane Jones
