Donald Trump has ‘no desire’ to mend his broken relationship with Elon Musk and believed their bromance is over.
The US president also warned the billionaire, who helped propel him back to the White House, there would be ‘serious consequences’ if he starts funding Democrat candidates.
They traded vicious insults this week after the Tesla and SpaceX owner used his social media site X to trash Trump’s ‘Big Beautiful Bill’.
Musk has since deleted some of his more incendiary barbs, including one post in which he alleged that Trump was ‘in the Epstein files’.
He has also removed another suggesting his former boss should be removed from office, appearing to seek a de-escalation in the feud.
But in a telephone interview with NBC, Trump was asked whether his relationship with Musk is now over, to which he replied: ‘I would assume so, yeah.’
When pushed on whether he has any desire to repair it, he said: ‘No.’
‘The Oval Office wasn’t big enough for the both of them’
Dr Katie Pruszynski, a Trump specialist and researcher at the University of Sheffield, told Metro the public falling out between the president and Musk was ‘inevitable’.
‘Trump has long rejected the human causes of climate change, but Musk’s flagship company, Tesla, remains one of the world’s largest manufacturers of electric cars,’ she explained.
‘Musk, himself an immigrant, supports visas for highly skilled workers, while Trump’s advisors briefly flirted with the idea of ending the scheme in their major crackdown on immigration numbers.
But she added: ‘These differences pale into insignificance compared to the real problem between the two; their enormous egos and desire to be the centre of attention.
‘There simply isn’t room in the Oval Office for both of them, and it was always going to end like this.’
The spectacular spat could potentially have ‘significant’ consequences, Dr Pruszynski said, with White House advisors hoping it doesn’t divert attention away from the administration’s work.
Musk, meanwhile, will be keen to avoid the choking off of the huge government subsidies and funds his companies receive.
‘I hope Elon comes back into the fold – maybe that’s not possible because he went nuclear’
Earlier, Trump’s vice president JD Vance said Musk had made a ‘big mistake’ in going after him.
But he also tried to downplay Musk’s blistering attacks, saying he is an ‘emotional guy’ who got frustrated.
‘I hope that eventually Elon comes back into the fold. Maybe that’s not possible now because he’s gone so nuclear,’ Vance said.
‘Look, it happens to everybody. I’ve flown off the handle way worse than Elon Musk did in the last 24 hours.’
Trump late on Friday suggested a review of federal government contracts held by Musk.
People who have spoken to Musk said his anger has begun to recede and they think he will want to repair his relationship with Trump.
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