President Donald Trump reaffirmed on June 6 that he was not interested in efforts to get the two of them back together after their fallout across social media, stating that matters of foreign policy have his attention right now.
“I’m really interested in the country solving problems, including problems in very faraway lands,” he said.
He went on to say that he had been spending the day working on ongoing matters with communist China, Russia, and Iran, and he was not thinking about Musk.
“I just wish him well,” the president said.
The tension between the two escalated after Musk called the Trump-endorsed One Big Beautiful Bill Act, which Congress is considering, a “disgusting abomination”—days after the tech billionaire departed the Trump administration when his term as a special government employee expired in late May. Musk recently expressed concerns about the bill’s potential fiscal impact on the federal government.
Trump and senior administration officials said the bill would reduce the deficit as it contains approximately $1.7 trillion in mandatory savings over the next decade.
“The One Big Beautiful Bill’s $1.7 trillion savings are permanent changes to the law — meaning these savings will continue long into the future,” the White House said in a recent fact sheet.
In response to a question from the press about Musk’s comments, Trump questioned the timing of the criticisms and alleged that Musk was upset because the bill would eliminate EV tax credits.
“Elon and I had a great relationship. I don’t know if we will anymore,” Trump told reporters on June 5 alongside German Chancellor Friedrich Merz in the Oval Office. “I was surprised.”
Musk, who is the CEO of electric car maker Tesla, denied the president’s claim and said, “Either you get a big and ugly bill or a slim and beautiful bill.”
During their spat, Trump also threatened to start cutting Musk’s companies’ contracts with and subsidies from the U.S. government.
In response, Musk said he could start decommissioning SpaceX Crew Dragon capsules—the United States’ only active means of human spaceflight at the time. Musk later retracted that threat, and on June 6, Trump was asked how serious he was about cutting the contracts.
“We’ll take a look at everything,” the president said, emphasizing fairness for Musk and the country, and noting that “it’s a lot of money,” and “a lot of subsidy.”
During his 130-day tenure in the Trump administration, Musk led the Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE), which was created by the president to find ways to reduce unnecessary federal spending amid record national debt and enhance government efficiency.
Regarding DOGE, Trump affirmed that its job was not finished and his administration was “basically taking over,” with many people remaining onboard.
“It’s terrific,” the president said. “We saved hundreds of billions of dollars.”
When asked if he was going to give back his Tesla, Trump said he had not thought about it and hopes Musk does well with his electric car company.
Jackson Richman and Andrew Moran contributed to this report.
