Washington D.C. [US], June 11 (ANI): Tech billionaire Elon Musk has issued a public statement expressing regret over his recent social media posts about U.S. President Donald Trump, acknowledging that his comments “went too far.”
Posting on his official X (formerly Twitter) account, Musk wrote, “I regret some of my posts about President @realDonaldTrump last week. They went too far.” The clarification comes after a week of heightened tensions between the two influential figures.
Meanwhile, President Trump escalated the feud, warning Musk of “serious consequences” if he funds Democratic candidates running against Republicans who support the GOP’s controversial budget bill. In a phone interview with NBC News on Saturday, Trump stated, “If he does, he’ll have to pay the consequences for that,” though he declined to specify what those consequences might entail.
When asked whether he had any interest in repairing relations with Musk, Trump was unequivocal. “No,” he said. “I would assume so, yeah,” he added, when asked if their relationship was over. “I’m too busy doing other things,” he said. “I have no intention of speaking to him.”
Trump also accused Musk of disrespecting the presidency. “He’s very disrespectful to the office of the President,” Trump said. “You could not disrespect the office of the President.”
The tensions began last Thursday, when Musk posted a series of critical messages targeting Trump, including a now-deleted post that referenced Trump’s past ties to the late sex offender Jeffrey Epstein. In response, Trump dismissed the claims, calling them “old news” and stating, “Even Epstein’s lawyer said I had nothing to do with it.”
Musk, who briefly served as a “special government employee” for 130 days heading the Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) under Trump, has grown increasingly critical of the administration’s spending. Following the narrow passage of the GOP’s new budget bill, Musk took to X to voice opposition, including one now-deleted post that backed a call for Trump’s impeachment and another that warned the bill could trigger a recession later this year.
Trump responded with a barrage of posts on Truth Social, saying, “I don’t mind Elon turning against me, but he should have done so months ago,” and hinting that Musk was aware of the bill’s contents prior to its passage. Trump also threatened to terminate federal contracts with Musk’s companies, writing, “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.”
Despite these remarks, Trump told reporters Saturday that he had not yet acted on the suggestion. “I’d be allowed to do that,” he said, “but I haven’t given it any thought.”
Musk, a major financial backer of Trump in last year’s elections, reportedly spent over a quarter of a billion dollars in support of his campaign in key swing states. During the early months of Trump’s presidency, Musk oversaw significant government restructuring and mass layoffs as head of DOGE.
Trump, in turn, has argued that the feud has drawn more public attention to his budget legislation. “I think Elon brought out the strengths of the bill because people who weren’t as focused started focusing on it,” Trump said. “So in that sense, there was a big favor. But I think Elon, I think it’s a shame that he’s so depressed and so heartbroken.”
The bill in question includes sweeping tax cuts and significant increases in military spending. It passed the House last month with near-unanimous Republican support and unified Democratic opposition. (ANI)
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