US President Donald Trump has said he may consider deporting billionaire Elon Musk in response to a question about the businessman's criticism of his tax bill.
Trump Doesn't Rule Out Deportation of Elon Musk
Reporters at a White House press conference asked the US President whether he would deport Elon Musk, a US citizen originally from South Africa.
“I don't know, we'll have to look at that,” Trump replied.
The president's comments are evidence of the feud between Trump and the world's richest man. Musk has stepped up his criticism of the Republican tax bill, which accelerates the elimination of consumer credit for electric vehicles.
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Elon Musk is the chief executive of electric car maker Tesla Inc., whose shares are down more than 4% in pre-market trading.
Donald Trump explains Musk's criticism of the bill by eliminating subsidies that benefit his many business ventures.
Musk Loses Electric Car Mandate
On Tuesday, the president first posted threats on social media about withdrawing subsidies from Elon Musk's companies. He later repeated the warning to reporters.
“Musk knew long before he endorsed me for president that I was categorically opposed to an electric vehicle mandate. It's absurd, and it was always a big part of my campaign. Electric cars are fine, but no one should be forced to own one,” Trump wrote on Truth Social.
He opined that Elon Musk “may have received more subsidies than anyone else in history.”
“And without the subsidies, he would probably have to close the business and return to South Africa,” he said.
Trump said Musk was “losing his mandate on electric cars,” adding that “Elon has a lot more to lose.”
The electric vehicle mandate refers to a set of fuel economy standards and tailpipe emissions restrictions that effectively force automakers to sell more electric models.
The Trump administration has begun to roll back policies that support electric vehicles, including by weakening fuel economy standards and emissions restrictions that encouraged their sale.
At the same time, Trump's tax bill, currently pending in the Senate, would further eliminate the tax credit for individual buyers of electric vehicles, which had previously significantly boosted their sales.
Musk criticizes Trump's tax bill
Musk has criticized the Republican bill as a “crazy spending bill” and threatened to create a third political party in the US. However, he denies that his opposition is based on a desire to maintain government subsidies for his companies.
Musk endorsed Trump in the 2024 election and went on to lead the Office of Government Effectiveness, which worked to reduce the federal government workforce. He left the position in May.
The two had been in a public spat over criticism of the tax bill, with Trump and Musk trading insults on social media. The feud between the two seemed to have died down, but Musk has made several attacks on the tax bill in recent days, reigniting his conflict with Trump.
“We may have to sic DOGE (the Department of Government Efficiency, which Musk headed – Ed.) on Elon,” Trump said. “DOGE is a monster that will probably come back and eat Elon. Wouldn't that be terrible?”
