From ‘disgusting abomination’ to ‘crazy’: Trump and Musk in social media brawl
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The once-close relationship between US President Trump and Mr Elon Musk has unravelled publicly on their rival social media platforms.
PHOTO: REUTERS
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WASHINGTON - US President Donald Trump on June 5 threatened to cut off government contracts with Mr Elon Musk’s companies, as the once-close relationship between the world’s most powerful man and its richest unravelled publicly on their rival social media platforms.
Here is how it happened:
June 3: Mr Musk attacks Mr Trump’s top legislative priority: a sweeping tax cut and spending Bill
“I’m sorry, but I just can’t stand it any more. This massive, outrageous, pork-filled Congressional spending Bill is a disgusting abomination. Shame on those who voted for it: you know you did wrong. You know it,” he wrote on his X platform.
June 5, noon local time: Mr Trump says he anticipates Mr Musk criticising him personally
“Look, Elon and I had a great relationship. I don’t know if we will anymore,” Mr Trump said in the Oval Office.
“He said the most beautiful things about me, and he hasn’t said bad about me personally, but I’m sure that’ll be next. But I’m, I’m very disappointed in Elon. I’ve helped Elon a lot.”
June 5, 12.10pm: Mr Musk posts on X
“Slim Beautiful Bill for the win.”
June 5, 12.25pm: Mr Musk says he did not know about the Bill
Mr Musk responds to a clip of Mr Trump from the Oval Office saying Mr Musk knew the inner workings of the Bill.
“False. This Bill was never shown to me even once and was passed in the dead of night so fast that almost no one in Congress could even read it!” Mr Musk wrote on X.
June 5, 1.57pm: Mr Musk launches poll
Mr Musk launches a poll on X with the question: “Is it time to create a new political party in America that actually represents the 80 per cent in the middle?”
June 5, 2.37pm: Mr Trump hits back on his social media platform, Truth Social
“Elon was ‘wearing thin’, I asked him to leave, I took away his EV Mandate that forced everyone to buy Electric Cars that nobody else wanted (that he knew for months I was going to do!), and he just went CRAZY!
“The easiest way to save money in our Budget, Billions and Billions of Dollars, is to terminate Elon’s Governmental Subsidies and Contracts. I was always surprised that Biden didn’t do it!”
June 5, 4.06pm: Mr Trump defends the Bill
“I don’t mind Elon turning against me, but he should have done so months ago. This is one of the Greatest Bills ever presented to Congress,” Mr Trump wrote on Truth Social.
June 5, 4.09pm: Mr Musk posts on X in response to Mr Trump’s comments about government contracts
“In the light of the President’s statement about cancellation of my government contracts, @SpaceX will begin decommissioning its Dragon spacecraft immediately.”
June 5, 4.11pm: Mr Musk responds to X user saying he would win against Mr Trump
Mr Musk writes “yes” in response to a user who posted: “President v Elon. Who wins? My money’s on Elon. Trump should be impeached and J.D. Vance should replace him.”
June 5, 4.26pm: Mr Musk says the tariffs will cause a recession
Mr Musk writes: “The Trump tariffs will cause a recession in the second half of this year.” REUTERS
