Rama Krishna Sangem
The war of words between US president Donald Trump and his friend turned foe Elon Musk has reached peaks. Trump threatened to deport Musk from America, unless the latter stops attacking him. Their differences began with an innocuous issue of Trump’s plans to cut taxes on rich and cut welfare spending. Musk objected that the One Big, Beautiful Bill, as Trump named it, would lead to huge fiscal deficit to the US economy. Of course, the Bill is passed by both the Houses on the congress- House of Representatives and Senate.
Escalating war of words between US President Donald Trump and tech billionaire Elon Musk intensified on Tuesday. Trump said he would “take a look” at the possibility of deporting Musk, who has been a US citizen since 2002. When asked by journalists whether he would consider such a move, Trump replied, “We’ll have to take a look.”
Trump, 79, also suggested that the federal government could target the substantial contracts and subsidies awarded to Musk’s companies, including SpaceX and Starlink. “Elon may get more subsidies 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,” Trump wrote earlier on Truth Social.
The comments came as Trump was en route to a migrant detention centre in Florida nicknamed ‘Alligator Alcatraz’. He said, “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.” Trump said, “I don’t think he should be playing that game with me.”
‘Tempting to escalate’, says Musk
Musk responded to Trump’s video on X, saying, “So tempting to escalate this. So, so tempting. But I will refrain for now.”
The world’s richest person, who was once a major political donor to Trump during the 2024 campaign, has increasingly distanced himself from the President. Musk had previously served as the head of Trump’s short-lived Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE), but stepped down in May. Since then, he has openly criticised Republican lawmakers and threatened to back a rival political movement if Trump’s allies continue to support his flagship economic proposal.
For now, it appears the war of words is subsided as Musk decided to lie low. If he keeps quiet, Trump too may relent and forget the issue, otherwise, the situation may lead to ackward levels between them.
