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The feud between US President Donald Trump and Elon Musk has reignited spectacularly on Tuesday, with the tech billionaire threatening to launch a new political party and the president warning that Musk’s companies could lose billions of dollars in subsidies.
Musk and Trump’s political alliance appeared to come to a dramatic conclusion a month ago in a blistering war of words, with Trump threatening to target Musk’s business interests and the world’s richest man calling for the president to be impeached.
While Musk backtracked on some of his attacks and Trump wished him well, hostilities resumed on Monday when Musk once again criticised Trump’s tax cuts and spending bill.
Musk, who formerly spearheaded the Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE), aimed at cutting government spending, lashed out at Republicans for backing the bill, referring to it as “political suicide” and calling the GOP the “Porky Pig party”.
The Tesla and SpaceX owner also renewed threats to start a new political party, called the “America Party”, if the bill passed.
The US “needs an alternative to the Democrat-Republican uniparty so that the people actually have a voice,” Musk wrote on X, the social media platform that he owns.
This came after Musk — who spent hundreds of millions of dollars on Trump’s presidential campaign last year — said in May that he would likely spend “a lot less” on politics in the future.
In response to Musk’s latest criticism and threats, Trump on Tuesday suggested that Musk could lose subsidies for his businesses.
“No more rocket launches, satellites, or electric car production, and our country would save a fortune,” Trump wrote on Truth Social.
Without subsidies, Musk “would probably have to close up shop and head back home to South Africa,” Trump added.
Trump went even further at the White House later on Tuesday, when asked by a reporter if he would consider deporting Musk, who is a naturalised US citizen.
“I don’t know. We’ll have to take a look,” Trump said.
“We might have to put DOGE on Elon, he added. “You know what DOGE is. DOGE is the monster that might have to go back and eat Elon.”
Additional sources • AP
