Donald Trump has warned Elon Musk of “severe penalties” if he backs Democrats, escalating their feud over a GOP spending invoice and political donations.
Former President Donald Trump has issued a stern warning to tech billionaire Elon Musk, threatening “very severe penalties” if Musk begins financially supporting Democratic candidates following a bitter public fallout over a Republican spending invoice.
Trump’s ultimatum to Musk
In an interview with NBC Information’ Kristin Welker on Saturday, Trump was requested about his escalating feud with Musk. Responding to Musk’s current criticisms, the previous president made his place clear: “If he does, he’ll need to pay the results for that,” Trump stated. “He’ll need to pay very severe penalties if he does that.”
Trump’s feedback come as tensions rise between the 2 influential figures, who had been beforehand allies in the course of the 2024 election cycle. Musk had been one of many largest monetary backers of Republican candidates throughout that point.
A feud sparked by a spending invoice
The fallout seems to have been triggered by Trump’s endorsement of a Republican spending invoice, which Musk has vocally criticised. The Tesla and SpaceX CEO took to X (previously Twitter) earlier this week, calling out what he described as “reckless debt will increase” within the so-called “large stunning invoice.”
Musk, who has a historical past of influencing public opinion on social media, didn’t maintain again in his criticism, asserting that the president owed his 2024 re-election to Musk’s monetary backing. “With out my a whole bunch of hundreds of thousands in donations, Trump wouldn’t have stood an opportunity,” Musk claimed.
Musk’s political clout
Federal filings present that Musk donated over $250 million to Republican candidates in the course of the 2024 election cycle. He additionally claimed private credit score for securing a 53-47 GOP majority within the Senate and serving to Republicans keep management of the Home.
Regardless of his earlier allegiance to the Republican camp, Musk’s current remarks counsel he might now be contemplating shifting his help towards Democrats — a transfer that may considerably shake up the U.S. political funding panorama.
Future unsure as rift deepens
Because the GOP pushes ahead with the controversial invoice, Trump stays assured about its passage, telling Welker, “The invoice is nice. Seems to be strongly like we’re going to get it handed.”
Nonetheless, the fallout with Musk provides one other layer of unpredictability to the political area — with each side now bracing for what might come subsequent.