with agency report

A simmering fight between the world’s most powerful man and the world’s richest man spilled into public view yesterday, as President Donald Trump and Elon Musk traded attacks and threats online in view of the whole world.

Tensions rose a few days ago when Musk criticised the bill for Trump’s agenda as a “disgusting abomination.”

Trump finally responded yesterday, telling reporters in the Oval Office that, “Elon knew the inner workings of the bill.”

The president suggested Musk, who owns Tesla, was upset that the bill cut a tax credit meant to incentivize electric vehicle purchases. Musk and his allies bristled at the suggestion.

Then, the online jabs began, according to NBC News. Musk suggested Trump would have lost the 2024 election without Musk’s massive donations.

Trump implied the federal government could end the billions of dollars in contracts with Musk’s companies, primarily SpaceX and Tesla. Musk, in response, claimed the president was in the so-called “Epstein files.” Musk also suggested Trump should be impeached. The attacks didn’t end there.

It’s clear, now, that the bromance between the two is dead and the collateral damage left in the feud’s wake could last for weeks, months or even years. And Republicans are caught in the middle.

Just a few months ago, Musk indicated he would put $100 million into political committees associated with Trump.

That money never came and now, it won’t, a Musk adviser said. “He does not give a f— about Republicans or the RNC, or House seats, or whatever,” the adviser said. “He will blow them up; he will.”

Republican Rep. Don Bacon, who represents a competitive Nebraska district, said of the fight: “There’s a good verse in Proverbs: ‘Stay out of fights.’ I’m staying out of this one.”

Meanwhile, a White House official yesterday said Trump was not interested in talking with Musk, signalling the president and his former ally might not resolve their feud over the sweeping tax-cut bill any time soon.

The White House official, speaking on condition of anonymity, said no phone call between Trump and the Tesla CEO was planned for the day.

Earlier, a different White House official had said the two were going to talk.

In interviews with several U.S. media outlets, Trump said he was focused on other matters.

“I’m not even thinking about Elon. He’s got a problem, the poor guy’s got a problem,” he had told CNN.

Trump may get rid of the red Tesla Model S that he bought in March after showcasing Musk’s electric cars on the White House lawn, the official said.

Tesla shares rose yesterday, managing to claw back some steep losses from the previous session when it dropped 14 per cent and lost $150 billion in value, the largest single-day decline in the company’s history.

Musk’s high-profile allies have largely stayed silent during the feud. But one, investor James Fishback, called on Musk to apologise.

“President Trump has shown grace and patience at a time when Elon’s behavior is disappointing and frankly downright disturbing,” Fishback said in a statement.