Donald Trump openly threatens Elon Musk with “serious consequences” if he funds Democratic candidates
Donald Trump issued a stark warning to Elon Musk on Saturday, saying the billionaire would face “very serious consequences” if he decided to back Democratic candidates in the upcoming elections.
Speaking to NBC News in an interview set to air Sunday, the president made the threat following a public and highly personal feud with Musk that escalated this week after the tech mogul criticized the Republican budget bill, branding it an “abomination.”
Trump told interviewer Kristen Welker that his relationship with Musk is finished, confirming that after Musk spent nearly $300 million in support of his re-election last year, any switch in loyalty would not be tolerated. “If he does, he’ll have to pay the consequences for that,” Trump warned. “He’ll have to pay very serious consequences if he does that.”
Asked if he had any interest in repairing the relationship, Trump responded bluntly: “No.” He continued, “I would assume so, yeah,” when asked if their connection was over, and added, “I’m too busy doing other things. I have no intention of speaking to him.”
Despite the clash, Trump claimed the fallout had a silver lining — uniting the GOP even further. “The party has never been united like this before. It’s never been. It’s actually more so than it was three days ago,” he said.
Musk’s fierce opposition to the Republican budget plan — formally titled the “One Big Beautiful Bill Act” — is unlikely to derail its path through Congress, Trump added. The bill, which narrowly passed the House and now heads to the Senate, proposes extending Trump’s 2017 tax cuts, while allocating new funds for border security and military expansion. The offset: cuts to programs like Medicaid, food stamps, and green-energy tax credits.
Independent analysts and projections from the Congressional Budget Office suggest the legislation could balloon the deficit by $2.3 trillion to $5 trillion over the next decade. However, the White House maintains that tax-cut-driven economic growth will balance out the added spending.
Trump still believes the bill will succeed. “I’m very confident” it’ll pass before 4 July, he said. And while Musk may have tried to undercut it, Trump argued the backlash had the opposite effect. “I think, actually, Elon brought out the strengths of the bill because people that weren’t as focused started focusing on it, and they see how good it is,” he said. “So in that sense, there was a big favor. But I think Elon, really, I think it’s a shame that he’s so depressed and so heartbroken.”
Trump also accused Musk of being “disrespectful to the office of the president.” He added, “I think it’s a very bad thing, because he’s very disrespectful. You could not disrespect the office of the president.”
Earlier in the week, Musk deleted a post on X — the platform he owns — that linked Trump to convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein. Asked about the deleted post, Trump dismissed it: “That’s called ‘old news’, that’s been old news, that has been talked about for years. Even Epstein’s lawyer said I had nothing to do with it. It’s old news.”
Musk has also walked back a previous threat to “decommission” SpaceX’s Dragon spacecraft, which are used by NASA to ferry supplies and astronauts to the International Space Station. The threat came after Trump floated the idea of cancelling federal contracts with SpaceX. On Saturday, Trump shrugged off the topic. “I’d be allowed to do that,” he said, “but I haven’t given it any thought.”
Elsewhere on Saturday, Vice President JD Vance spoke with comedian and interviewer Theo Von, calling Musk’s attacks a “huge mistake” but also suggesting the Tesla CEO might’ve simply lost his temper. “Maybe that’s not possible now because he’s gone so nuclear,” Vance said, but added: “I actually think if Elon chilled out a little bit, everything would be fine.”
Note to our readers: This report was compiled from verified interviews, official broadcasts, and credible government sources. All claims have been cross-checked with public statements and congressional documentation to ensure accuracy and journalistic integrity.
Sources -
- https://www.nbcnews.com/politics/donald-trump/trump-elon-musk-consequences-funds-democratic-candidates-rcna211605
- https://truthsocial.com/@realDonaldTrump/posts/114632206992330264
- https://truthsocial.com/@realDonaldTrump/posts/114632555927229642
